Theft of Heart
by Quizer
Summary: What if Chiaki didn't know of Maron's double identity from the start? What if he never had to keep secrets from her? Follow the development of their relationship in this alternate storyline that starts when Fin and Access first come to Earth. NO EVIL FIN!
1. Chapter 01

Hi people!

I have decided to start a second project, even though it will probably impede progress on 'The Wise One's Legacy'. Hopefully some of you know KKJ, too!

I know both the anime and the manga and I will probably adapt elements from both, although the story will be mostly based on the first season of the anime. It will differ from the original in several interesting ways however. With this story, I intend to even out things between Maron and Chiaki. In the original storyline, Maron had a much harder time than Chiaki, the two main reasons being Fin's betrayal and the fact that Chiaki starts off knowing of Maron's double identity as Jeanne. Because of this, I opt to change the following:

- Fin is NOT evil/will NOT turn evil  
- Chiaki knows neither Maron nor Jeanne nor Access when he appears first in the story  
- The storyline starts before any of the main characters meet 'their' angel for the first time

I hope you'll enjoy this different approach to the relationship between Maron and Chiaki and their adventures. I might have some more surprises in store, but I don't want to spoil them yet...  
Well, there's only three more things to say:

1. All Standard Disclaimers Apply: I do not own Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. Arina Tanemura does.  
2. The above disclaimer, until otherwise stated, applies to this and all following chapters of this story.  
3. Happy reading!

* * *

**Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne**  
Theft of Heart

Chapter 1: Old Nightmares and New Neighbors

(Maron)

"…huff… …huff… …must hurry… …must not be late again… …pant… …gasp…"

Trying to ignore the stitch in my side, I stopped running at a street junction. This part of Momokuri looked unfamiliar and I looked around desperately for some kind of clue as to where I was. "Great…" I muttered to myself. "I'm not only going to be late for class again, no, I also have to get myself lost in the city I've been living in for more years than I care to count!!! ARRRGH!!!"

Fuming, I looked around for my best friend Miyako, but as usually when I needed her, she was nowhere to be found. "Oh, I forgot, she only ever shows up when there's a possibility to annoy me…" I continued to rant at no one in particular, ignoring the weird looks I received from passers by. _That building across the road looks vaguely familiar…_ I thought to myself. _I'll check it out._

I ran to the edge of the road and skidded to a halt again, cursing under my breath at the red traffic light. _Damn!!! I can't afford to be late again, sensei will have my head this time for sure!!_ I quickly looked around, but there wasn't a single car to be seen. "Oh well… I normally don't do this… But I have no choice…" I checked the road once more, but it was still deserted; however, on the other side was a bunch of people patiently waiting for the light to turn green. _Miyako would have my head, too, if she saw this**…**_

Steeling myself for the task at hand I leaned forward and lifted my foot, but before I even managed a first step, an obnoxiously familiar shrill whistling noise pierced my eardrums. I winced as I was hurled backwards, covering my ears in a futile attempt to shut out the infernal sound.

"Pakkyamlamao-sensei!" I gasped at the woman who was walking across the road, the typical stern look on her face that spelled 'you're in deep trouble', her infamous wooden flute tightly clutched in her hand; the traffic light had consequently turned green the instant she had blown the instrument with all her might. The woman with the long sleek, dark purple hair was the schoolteacher for several of my subjects. She really was okay most of the time, I guess, but she was not very patient and tended to show a great eagerness to severely punish any student unfortunate enough to pay less than full attention to her instructions. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to indulge in some fond memories of the times I had spent standing by myself in the hall outside the classroom, because in doing so I would most likely have earned myself another of her penetrating whistles for which she was known and feared throughout the school.

"Kusakabe Maron!" I winced again; her disdainful voice was perfectly able to compete with the hideous shriek emitted by her abused instrument. "This is the third time you're late for school this week!" She towered over me, pointing her flute at me in a threatening gesture. "I told you hundreds of times that your mind must be like a beautiful flower! Where do you think would we be if the plants didn't obey the rule of the seasons, only blooming when they feel like it?!"

"What are you doing here?!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. "Why aren't you in school?"

"I'm here because of the snow." She said in a no nonsense kind of way. "The flowers cannot survive this cold on their own."

_Snow?_ Bewildered, I looked around; there were indeed piles of snow at the sides of the walkways and the unpaved surfaces were covered by a layer of frost. As I watched, one of the flowers that was poking its petals out of the sheet of snow suddenly wilted and shriveled up. _But it's supposed to be almost summer!! And why didn't I notice the cold until now?!_

The teacher shook her head in exasperation, as if the reason for her presence was most obvious. "I wonder what kind of weeds you have been growing inside your head lately… But don't you worry, I will sort them out right now, let me have a look…"

I recoiled in terror as she produced gardening tools out of nowhere and tried to whack me across the head with them. I took a few steps backwards, staring in shock at my gymnastics teacher who had just shown a streak of violence I wasn't familiar with yet. Unfortunately she wasn't done yet; uttering an incomprehensible shout of rage, she swung her hoe at me again, stressfully with an alarmingly accurate aim, too. Doing the only sensible thing in this kind of situation, I nimbly jumped backwards, spun my body around and ran for dear life, Pakkyamlamao-sensei hot on my heels. _Took a while back then until I could say her name, let alone spell it… But it was one of those things people learned quickly – she made sure of that!_

A swishing noise next to my left ear told me that this probably wasn't the most ideal time to ponder things like this, but as I tried to pick up some more speed, I slipped on the frozen sidewalk and lost balance, crashing down onto the ground. Wriggling around on the icy surface I tried desperately to avoid what I knew would happen next, but Pakkyamlamao-sensei was already standing over me. With a cruel grin she raised the the hoe high above her head before bringing it down with all her might. I closed my eyes and resigned myself to my fate, hoping that she would somehow manage to kill me in one hit with the blunt thing, or at least knock me out.

But instead of pain, I felt a sudden warmth surrounding my body and a bright soothing light shone through my closed eyelids. _Whew… It didn't even hurt… _I stayed put and did nothing, marvelling at the strange sense of calm that encompassed me until it slowly faded away.

I sat up and opened my eyes, only to find that I was lying in my bed in my lonely apartment. A quick glance towards the window told me that a new day was just about to start dawning. _Did I only dream the whole thing?_ I asked myself silently. _But I woke up so peacefully…_ _Nah, I must be dead. Normally I'd wake up screaming after such a nightmare…_

Looking at the sky outside again, I tried to guess the time. _Somehow I still feel tired… I guess I can sleep for another couple of minutes before Miyako will be busting down my door… _Ignoring the fact that Miyako probably wouldn't be around if I really was dead, I shifted around in my bed, trying to go back to sleep.

"Um… Hello?"

I shot straight up into a sitting position, frantically looking around for the source of the tiny, high pitched voice until I noticed the small figure hovering directly in front of my face. It looked like a human with wings, about six inches tall. Backing away slightly, I reached for the curtains next to my bed and pulled. Moonlight flooded into the room and I was finally able to make out details. My visitor was apparently female and she looked indeed like a miniature angel. Long lime green hair framed her cute little face and embedded on her forehead and on the tip of each of her wings was a small, rose colored crystal. She was looking at me with an expression of curiosity in her emerald green eyes.

"Hi?" I eventually managed to say. "Is this the reception committee?"

The look on the her face changed to an utterly confused one. "What? You were expecting me?!"

"Well, I just died and went to Heaven, so I figured they'd send somebody to welcome me and tell me how things work up here… Although I didn't expect everything would look just the same…" I got out of bed and stood in front of the large window, looking outside. The sight that greeted me was the same as always since I had moved into this apartment several years ago: Silhouettes of large buildings separated into small areas by roads, the occasional tree scattered in between. I turned around to face the small angelic creature again whose confusion seemed to have increased even more.

"But you can't be dead!!!" she pleaded, her green orbs shining. "I was sent to you by Kami sama! If you are dead, then I will have failed my mission!!!"

"God sent you to me with a mission?!" I repeated, dumbstruck.

The angel nodded, regaining her composure. "I am Fin Fish, Jun Tenshi, at your service!!!" she said solemnly. "But you can call me Fin-chan." she added as an afterthought, giving me a cute smile.

"Er… if I'm not dead, then why am I able to see you?"

"Oh, that." She smiled. "I bestowed the gift of True Sight on you, so that you can see the spiritual world. You're going to need that gift soon…"

"You were talking about some kind of mission… Fin, right?"

She nodded. "You are the reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc, born to seal demons hiding in wonderful pieces of art and possessing the people who enjoy their beauty the most!!!"

"Jeanne who?"

"Jeanne d'Arc, the French national hero!" she exclaimed. "More than five hundred years ago, a shepherd girl by the name of Jeanne united the armies of the French nobles who were warring amongst themselves and lead them to victory against the English invasion!!!"

"Wait a second." I interrupted her, blinking. "Let me try to get this straight. You're saying that this person was reborn in ME?!" She nodded solemnly. "And I'm going to seal demons?!" The angel nodded again.

I went back to my bed and let myself fall back down. "I must be dreaming after all."

"What?!" The voice of the angel was filled with panic and disbelief.

"My death at the hands of my teacher must've been a dream, too, then. And you are just the continuation of that weird dream. Yes, that's it. Soon Miyako-chan will come and wake me up."

"B b but I'm no dream!!!" the apprentice angel squeaked. "I'm really here!"

"Stop distracting me…" I said, facing the wall in concentration. "I'm trying to wake up! If I'm late for school again, Pakkyamlamao-sensei will kill me for real…"

"You can't do that!!" Fin sobbed. "Ignoring me like that… You're making Fin angry!!!"

"**OW!!!** What are you doing?!" I cringed as a sharp pain shot through my rear all of a sudden. Glaring at the tiny angel, I rubbed my back where she had hit me. "Arrgh… fine, so maybe you ARE real!! …but I still don't believe you!"

Fin was scowling back at me, trying hard to look intimidating, but even with that angry face she looked kind of cute. She sighed, letting her shoulders hang. "I knew this assignment would not be an easy one, but I thought the reincarnation of Jeanne d'Arc would be more cooperative…" She floated down and landed on my chest, her hand clasped together in a pleading gesture. "If you don't help me, I'll never earn the right to be a True Angel and I'll have to stay tiny like this forever!!" She sniffled. "Please, at least give it a try!"

I sat up, gathering the teary eyed wreck of nerves in my hands, sympathy for the little angel welling up in my heart. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that… I wouldn't want you to suffer because of me… I will try, okay?"

Fin's sadness instantly vanished and she smiled. "Thanks!" she said, suddenly shooting upwards and hugging my cheek. "I'm Kusakabe Maron." I told her. "But you can call me Maron-chan!" I winked and she grinned broadly.

But before either of us could say another word, there was a loud banging noise on the apartment door. "Maron, are you okay?!" came the worried voice of Miyako. "Are you hurt?! I heard you scream!!! If you don't open this damn door, I'm going to…"

"I'm coming!!!" I yelled, scrambling from my bed and running for the door. I knew my friend was serious, probably thinking I was being attacked by a burglar or something. "Hide, quickly!!" I whispered hurriedly at Fin, who was idly floating alongside me. Not wanting to give Miyako another chance to destroy my door, I opened it quickly.

"Maron!" Miyako's worried look was quickly replaced by one of anger. My best friend was already fully dressed, her trademark ribbon securely tied into her dark violet hair. "What the heck do you think, screaming like that?! Do you want to wake up the whole neighborhood?! You know that I could get you framed for public disturbance!!!"

I grinned sheepishly. "Fell out of bed…" I said and rubbed my back again, inwardly congratulating myself for that clever cover up.

Miyako hit her forehead, shaking her head. "That is so like you, Maron… Well, at least I don't have to wake you today… I can't afford to be late again because you're so slow!!"

"ME!?! I'm always late because you don't wake me early enough!!!" I shouted, trying to properly display my outrage at the very notion of being called lazy. "Because of that, I even dreamt I was murdered by Ms. P!!! With a hoe!!!"

Miyako blinked. "A hoe?!"

"Yes, a hoe!!!" I raged at her. "She said she wanted to weed my head out!!!"

In the meantime, Fin had merrily ignored my warning and was hovering in plain view of Miyako, watching the conversation with interest. I used the moment when Miyako was laughing her head off to firmly push the angel out of her view again, giving her an warning glare. Fin shrugged and floated upwards, seating herself on the edge of the opened door.  
"Well, you better get a move on then!" she said mirthfully, wiping away tears of laughter. "Who knows, maybe you'll actually be on time today and get to keep your blossoming imagination to yourself! It may not be the beauteous flower our beloved sensei always speaks of, but it sure is very colorful…"

Still giggling madly, she went back to her own flat across the stairs where she was living with her parents. Mr. Toudaiji was the Chief Detective of the local police force and Miyako was very eager follow into her father's footsteps. It seemed to be in her blood; I had long since stopped counting the times she had annoyed me with one stupid rule or another useless regulation of law. She regularly accompanied her dad on late night jobs and sometimes it was her inventiveness, her cunning wit and not least her dedication to the cause of justice that got the criminal caught in the end. She was well respected at the Momokuri Police Headquarters and had direct access to all kinds of inside information. I felt truly sorry for anybody who ended up facing her because they were stupid enough to get on the wrong side of the law.

I closed the door and used my other hand to catch Fin who gave a startled squeak as she fell backwards off her lofty seat. "Why didn't you stay hidden like I told you?!" I questioned her before she could protest. "What if she had seen you?!" I plopped down on the nearest chair, carefully dropping the angel on the table where I usually consumed my meals.

"Don't worry, no ordinary human can see me. People who are unusually perceptive of their surroundings can probably feel something when I'm near, like a sense of peace or something like that. A pure hearted person might even hear my voice, thinking their own conscience is speaking to them… But no mortal eyes can see me, unless they possess the Sight." She stood on her feet, looking down. "I know you were right in telling me to hide… I messed up my last assignment because I got careless…"

"Hey." I lowered my face closer to her, looking into her big green orbs. "I'm not trying to shut you out or keep you from having a bit of fun. I know **I** do lots of things I probably shouldn't, always getting into trouble… Miyako always gets mad at me, she's such a play by the rules woman!!!"

Fin giggled. "It's true, I swear!!!" I exclaimed, gesturing wildly to emphasize my point. "She could find a law that forbids cute little angels to socialize with a breaking the rules improper person like me!!!"

Fin giggled even harder, doubling over slightly with laughter. "I'm glad…" she said. "Glad that you're not some prissy, stuck up brat who'd probably let being Jeanne's reincarnation go to her head! I think working with you should be fun!" She sat down on the table, hugging her knees in a relaxed fashion.

"What am I going to have to do?" I asked with a mix between curiosity and anxiety. "Why don't I get ready for school while you tell me what being Jeanne d'Arc is all about!"

"I better start with the reason for all of this. You see, the Devil has recently started spreading his influence by sending demons into the world. These demons hide in precious things and works of art, anything that is considered beautiful and cherished by people. They will possess anybody who recognizes the true beauty of the object, tainting their souls. But beautiful souls are the source of life for Kami sama. Without them, he will die, and everything, heaven and earth will be consumed by darkness."

"Everything… will be gone?" I asked, feeling a sudden emptiness within me.

Fin nodded, a sorrowful look on her face.

"We cannot let that happen!" I said with determination, quickly finishing my dressing maneuvers. "What will we do?"

"I'll be searching for the demons everywhere!" the little angel said, shooting up into the air and shaking her fists energetically. "And as soon as I find one, you will seal it with the power of Jeanne d'Arc!!! Sounds really simple, eh?"

"You make it sound that way…" I said with uncertainty. "But if it actually was that easy, anyone could do it, right?"

"Well, not really…" Fin said, watching me as I hurriedly put together something that roughly resembled a breakfast. "Only God's chosen and their reincarnations are able to seal the demons." Her look was sad as she continued. "But in modern times, humans don't care much about Kami sama anymore and reincarnations are really rare… We're in a bit of a fix up there…" She looked at me again desperately. "That's why we need people like you!"

"There are others like me?" I asked in surprise. "Do you know how many?"

Fin shook her head. "I don't know, I'm just a small angel… The exact number is probably known only to Kami sama and his four Archangels. But the mood is pretty grim up there, I guess things don't look too well… They made it clear to me that having you on our side might very well tip the balance in our favor!"

"I'm that important?" I asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed. "You know, this is all a bit… sudden."

"I know…" Fin said sympathetically. "I didn't want to burden you with such a big responsibility, but you have a right to know the truth; I don't want you to be just a chess piece that is pushed about in Fate's big game. It's also important that you understand the situation, so you can give your best. Because that's all that Kami sama expects." She looked at me with sincerity. "You know, I'm not doing this just because it's my job, or because the world could come to an end. We all want to prevent that, of course, but I have a special reason…" She closed her eyes, suddenly looking very vulnerable.

"Kami sama trusted me with this important assignment. Even though I failed before, I was forgiven and received a second chance. I want this to be a success for Kami sama, to thank him and to show that his trust in me is not wasted…" Her large green eyes shimmered. "It is very important to me."

"I'll try extra hard for you, too." I promised while hugging the little angel, feeling genuinely moved by her story. "I hadn't expected angels to be so alike to us humans…" I confessed, looking at her. "You have feelings, too and you make mistakes like we do…"

"You better hurry up, or you friend will get mad at you again…" she said, suddenly seeming slightly embarrassed. "Oh wait, I forgot to give you your equipment!" She flew back to the table and closed her eyes, concentrating. The crystal on her forehead glowed and shot out a beam of light of the same color that quickly reshaped into a small object. It was some kind of rod with wings and a big crystal of the same kind as Fin's embedded on the top part. It was beautiful with its golden handle and some small gems of a darker rose color were set around the large one. Altogether, it was about four inches long. Fin repeated the procedure and created another item. This one was an even larger crystal, set into some kind of grey material. It fitted nicely into the grip of my hand, being about three inches long. Like the other one it was intricately adorned with carvings and gems.

"This is the Petit Claire." Fin explained. "You can use it to talk to me when I'm not with you. Touching the bottom small gem with the cross design will make my face appear in the big crystal. You can then hear my voice…"

"Petit Claire?" I repeated the strange name.

Fin shrugged. "Jeanne named it that long ago. It's French and means 'small clear'…"

"I never really excelled in French…" I muttered.

"It's really useful!" she said. "It will blink and emit short beeps when you're close to a demon! It reacts to both a possessed person and the object in which the demon is hiding, so if that happens, let me know immediately!"

She pointed at the other item. "I'll explain about the Rosary later, you won't need it until we have a target… Please don't lose either of them! The Petit Claire is irreplaceable, and while I received some extra power to create the rosary for you, I don't have enough to make another one! Keep them with you at all times!"

The angel sat down on the table surface, seeming slightly exhausted. "Whew, I'm tired. Can I have some milk, please?"

"Of course!" I said, standing up. "Let me just look for a cup that fits your size…" I went into the kitchen, rummaging around in the different drawers. _Too bad I don't have any of these toy things the little kids use for their dolls… I'm going to have to improvise…_ I finally returned with a tiny jug that had once been included in some medicament package, less than an inch in height. I poured some milk into it and placed it in front of Fin. The angel quickly placed the cup at her lips, draining the contents in one huge gulp. "Mmh, that's good! Can I have another?"

With disbelief I watched as she emptied the small cup five more times, each one taking her no more than three seconds. "Ah, that was good!" she exclaimed with a burp, sinking back on the table. "A quick nap would be nice now… Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Where did all of that milk go?" I asked incredulously, poking her stomach. Fin yelped and grinned. "Little angel's secret… Our metabolism is somewhat different from that of a human…"

Suddenly there was another knock on the door. "Maron, are you coming?!" came Miyako's annoyed voice. "I don't want to be late again, I can do without those nightmares!!"

"Just a moment, I'm packing my stuff…" I shouted back, scrambling away from the table.

"Hurry up or I'll go on without you this time!" Miyako shouted in reply.

"Is it always like this?" Fin asked as I quickly put the assorted goodies back into the fridge. "You have no idea…" I muttered, rolling my eyes. I grabbed the objects created by Fin from the table and placed them in my pocket before proceeding to grab some random books, hoping they matched some of today's subjects. "Hey Fin." I turned to her, having stuffed most of the things I might need in my schoolbag.

The little angel yawned. "Yeah?"

"This Jeanne d'Arc business… What's in it for me?"

Fin grinned. "Oh, you mean besides lack of sleep, low pay, and the top space on the police's 'Most Wanted' list?" She shrugged. "I've no idea, but now that you mention it, you deserve some kind of reward, too, of course. I'll ask around about it when I go back to report. Maybe, if we succeed, Kami sama will grant you a wish!"

"A wish, huh?" I asked, intrigued. "Hey, but what's with the other things you mentioned? The first two I understand, kind of, but why should the police be interested in me? Surely I won't do anything that can be considered to be against the law!"

"Oh right, I didn't tell you yet… You're going to be… a Kaitou."

"A phantom thief? Me?!" I asked incredulously.

"Exactly!" Fin flashed me a suave grin. "Throughout the world you shall be known as Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, the Divine Wind Princess!!!"

Seeing the perplexed look on my face, the angel sighed, resigning herself to another long explanation. "You see, you're going to have to seal the demons within the objects they hide in. It's like mold growing on a piece of bread. It may be visible only on a small part of the surface, but have to throw the whole bread away or it may start to spread again. When you seal a demon within an object, it will disappear along with the demon. And since the targets are usually things that can be seen and admired by lots of people, these 'thefts' will hardly go unnoticed…"

"How can I, a simple schoolgirl, stand against a whole police force?" I asked her, a feeling of doubt growing in my stomach. "I guess it's not really a crime then, but I can't likely tell them 'It's okay with God, so leave me alone!', can I?"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Fin assured me. "Jeanne isn't an ordinary human. She has powers a normal thief can only dream of. You won't get caught. Trust me."

Looking into the angel's emerald eyes, I nodded. Following a sudden inspiration, I asked: "Why don't you come to school with me today?"

"What? But I must start searching for demons!"

"Nonsense…" I said. "You're exhausted, and you wouldn't even know where to look for me when you've found one. You'll stay in my schoolbag, hidden from view. Look, you can peek out at the sides…" I placed her inside and closed it so she could see what I was talking about. "And when we're there I'll let you out so you can go looking for demons while I get bored out of my mind…"

Fin poked her head out at he side. "Eeek, it's cramped! But I'll be okay as long as you don't shake me around too much…"

Picturing Fin struggling and flailing between two books, I made a mental note to walk somewhat more carefully today. I quickly hoisted the bag onto my back and left the flat. "Looks like Miyako already went ahead… Maybe we'll catch up with her. She was unusually chipper today, I bet she has caught another criminal yesterday…"

"That was chipper?!" Fin asked incredulously as the elevator door opened and I stepped inside. "Uh huh." I confirmed. "You really don't want to see her when she's being moody."

With a soft 'ping' the elevator door opened again, revealing the entrance hall – somebody had stacked a huge lot of boxes near the left hand wall – and Miyako. "I thought you went ahead already!!" I yelled at her as I stepped out of the elevator. "Now you're standing here! You're always playing these stupid games!"

"Calm down!" Miyako grinned. "I wanted to go on ahead, but then I remembered I haven't told you about last night's capture yet…"

I groaned. "What kind of poor criminal did you harass this time?"

"I didn't even get to harass the bloke …" Miyako pouted. "I invented a special trap just for that evening, but today's housebreakers don't seem to have what it takes anymore… The inept bastard got himself caught at the first opportunity! It's a shame, really…" Frustrated, she punched the wall of boxes which promptly collapsed, crashing down on our heads.

Luckily all of them seemed to be empty, so it was more a shock than anything else, but we were still buried under under a large heap of carton. To make matters worse, Miyako shifted the boxes in my general direction as she struggled to extract herself from under the pile, spitting out a barrage of colorful curses that distracted me from my efforts to free myself, also prompting a series of gasps from my schoolbag. "Who put these boxes here anyway?!" Miyako seethed, finally managing to stand.

"It was me." Abruptly, I was hauled onto my feet, a strong arm supporting me around my shoulders, and I was staring in the face of an extremely handsome young man. He had short sky blue hair and his amber eyes looked at me with an unreadable expression. A pleasant scent wafted into my nose and I found I couldn't tear my gaze away. My heart was suddenly beating erratically and heat rose to to my cheeks as he continued to look at me like that for what seemed like several endless seconds. "I left the boxes in this hallway." he said. "Sorry about that." He gave me a subtle nudge with the arm that was supporting me and I hesitantly shifted so that I was standing on my own feet, all the while wondering why I suddenly felt all these new, strange feelings in me, what they could possibly mean and most importantly, what I was going to say to get out of this situation that was both awkward and pleasant at once.

Luckily Miyako decided to take it upon herself to help me out with the last issue. Putting on her favorite fake smile, she addressed him. "Oh, what a pleasant surprise!" she said said sweetly and now I knew what was coming.

"I'm Nagoya Chiaki." the stranger said with a warm, dazzling smile that put Miyako's false one to shame as he shook the hand she offered. "Delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Indeed…" Miyako said, entering stage two of her infamous 'charm the wits out of them then bust them' routine. "Because the apartment regulations forbid leaving trash around the hallways and stairs, and I, Toudaiji Miyako, will have the pleasure to punish you for this insolent infraction of the law!"

He looked her up and down shamelessly as she glowered at him for several moments. "I don't think I'll mind your punishment too much…" he said finally, his gaze raking over her body pointedly.

Miyako flushed and went into a defensive stance. "Hey, I didn't mean it that way!!"

The Chiaki guy smiled knowingly and went on. "Although I doubt it will be necessary… You know, the apartment regulations only prohibit leaving large objects around for an extended amount of time…" He winked at both of us. "Just go to school like the virtuous little girls you undoubtedly are… When you return, there will be no boxes or anything else of me left in this hallway."

"Well, that's a good thing!!" Miyako growled. "I don't need delinquent strangers belittling me!"

He looked at me roguishly. "You really should go, you don't want your teacher to rip your beautiful heads off for being late. That would be such a waste…"

Thinking back to my dream this morning, I gulped. "Damn, he's right! Let's go, Miyako!" Glancing one more time at Chiaki who was wearing an amused grin, I grabbed the arm of my best friend and started running. "Come on! If we take the shortcut, we'll still make it in time!"

For once Miyako didn't protest as we jumped over the wrought iron gate. Beyond it was a private property that had occasionally provided a useful shortcut on our way to school; taking the usual route meant circling around the long lane of houses which extended well into both directions. Most of the time this trespassing went unnoticed; the other times… _Well, that's something I'd rather not think of right now… Although I had better get used to it; if Fin's right, I'll be doing this a lot in the near future, and more…_

Today however, everything went well and we soon arrived at the grounds of Momokuri High School. Already from far away we could hear the shrill whistle of a wooden recorder. "Are we that late already?!" I asked Miyako, who shook her head. "Nah, we're actually going to be on time today… I wonder what upset her so early in the morning already, though."

"Probably some poor chap stepping on the flowers again…" I mused.

Miyako winced in sympathy. "Can't believe somebody would still be stupid enough… Not after what happened last year…" She shuddered, then her face brightened. "But that means it won't be our turn for gardening duties until well into next term!"

At the door of the classroom I stopped, kneeling down and placing my bag in front of me. "Go on in already…" I said to my best friend. "I'll just check if I have today's homework…" Miyako huffed and opened the door, joining the chattering mass of students already inside.

I opened the bag and Fin came floating out. "Don't make me do that again!" the little angel breathed, looking a bit disheveled. "Hehe… Sorry." I said sheepishly, thinking back to the incident with the boxes and the frenzied run afterwards. "I'll arrange something more comfortable to transport you next time…" I promised. "Well, this is our classroom." I indicated the door Miyako had just passed through. "After lunchtime, I'll be practicing gymnastics in the building over there…" I went on, pointing through the window front which provided a good view of the whole school area.

"You're doing gymnastics?!" Fin asked, seeming very excited all of a sudden. "Are you good?"

"Well, Miyako and I often compete for the first prize in school tournaments and such…" I said, recalling some of the fierce battles where each of us tried to display more grace, refinement and skill than the other, our performances occasionally leaving even our severe instructor teary eyed with pride. "So far, I've won more often than her…" I said, trying to sound modest, likely failing as well.

"Really? This is great!!" Fin was exhilarated. "It should make your jobs a lot easier! Looks like you are the right person for this after all!"

She rose a little higher. "I'll start looking now. Check back with me sometimes, if possible! And if you find a demon yourself, call me immediately!" With a last wave, she turned around and flew out through one of the opened windows, leaving me to resign myself to another mind numbing day of lessons…

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That's the first chapter for now. Did you like it? 

After each chapter I plan to have short sections in which I explain how I feel about certain issues and why I wrote or changed things like I did. Feel free to comment on them and tell me your views in your reviews. Here is the first batch:**  
**

**The first appearance of the angels / Origin of the Kaitous: **One of the things the original story lacks is the description of how the angels came to earth and turned their charges into Kaitous. Sure, we see how Access met Chiaki in the anime, but naming Sinbad after a movie? That's just lame, and it brings me to a different point. I think there should be more to Chiaki's secret identity, just like there's more to Jeanne than her name. I decided to invent my own idea how the spirits of well-known or special personae throughout the human history are reincarnated; hints of this appear in this and the next chapter.

**Fin's betrayal:** I never liked that whole betrayal ploy where Fin went evil. Fin's motivations aside, I just didn't like that part of the story, so in my story the agents of hell simply failed in capturing/corrupting her. I also want Fin to be a real partner to Maron. Throughout the first story arc, she doesn't really do a lot to help Maron, other than charging up her rosary so she can transform. In a few cases she helps in other ways, but it is the exception to the rule. Fin is meant to be Maron's most steadfast friend and ally, at least until Maron and Chiaki get close... In my story she will be helping out more; you will see that as the story progresses.

**Chiaki's foreknowledge:** In the anime, Chiaki knew from the start that Fin was controlled by the Devil and was bound to turn on Maron eventually. But instead of trying to help her out for real, he plays the mysterious stranger and concocts some inanely idiotic ploy to stop Maron from being a Kaitou! Finally, when his cover is blown and he has no other choice, he totally botches his chance to explain to Maron what is going on and why. He screws it up so terribly that he totally breaks her heart until she won't even listen to his explanation. In the time until that happened, lover-boy ought to have gotten a handle on her personality and be able to shock her out of her stupor with a question or a comment that she doesn't know how to respond to, so at least she'd have listened to what he was going to say. I realize it was done for dramatic tension and the story wouldn't be what it is otherwise, but I value character integrity much higher. The author should have found a way to make it work and still have the characters act logically. I personally think Chiaki is far better off without knowing anything about Maron at the start.

I don't really know what to expect review-wise. At the time I write this, the story count in this category is abysmally low and none of them are larger than 40,000 words, but still there are several stories with more than 100 reviews. Maybe this will be the first one to exceed 40,000 words; I'd feel honored if I got a lot of reviews, too!

05/2007: With my recent update, I've actually cracked the 40,000 word count. I may proudly announce that this fic is now officially the largest KKJ story on ffnet! The only thing that's sad about that is how easy it actually was.

Next chapter will feature everyone's favorite Kuro-Tenshi Access Time!

until then

Quizer


	2. Chapter 02

Finally, another update!

I hope those TWOL readers among you aren't too disappointed that I only updated my other story. If you are not interested in this at all, put TWOL on Story Alert and remove me from your Author Alert list.

To the others of you: Have fun with the second chapter, starring: Kuro-Tenshi Access Time!

* * *

**Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne**  
Theft of Heart

Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter

(Access)

"Blah blah blah… and don't you dare come back unfinished, or I'll have those feathers ripped out of your useless wings, one at a time!!"

I stopped ranting to look at my reflection in one of the mall's shopping windows. Yellow eyes were staring back at me with unconcealed outrage; the figure's dark purple hair was flying about wildly, its fists suspended in the air from earlier shaking. The black feathered wings on its back were stretched threateningly, the amethyst crystals on their tips and on the creature's forehead sparkling with both reflected sunlight and unbridled fury.

I adjusted my expression to be a mocking mirror image of that of my 'employer', trying to look as evil and sinister as possible, albeit failing abysmally. Eventually I burst into laughter at the ridiculous face of my reflection, showing slightly prolonged teeth that vaguely resembled those of a vampire. According to others, however, they succeeded only in making me cuter, not making me seem more dangerous; although that was a fact that bothered my superiors a lot more than me.

_The hell, I'm just not cut out to be evil!!_ I thought angrily to myself. _Why did they choose me in the first place?! Me of all people!!_

A sudden squeal shook me out of my reverie; a young woman with a small child had arrived in front of the shopping window. The toddler was looking out of its carriage with curious eyes, pointing in my direction while making delighted gurgling noises. The mother was clueless, probably attributing her child's excitement to the general activity of the colorful, crowded street, but I knew that because of the innocence and the lack of prejudice against the supposedly imaginary spiritual world in the small human's heart, the child could actually see me. "I'm a Black Angel, for heaven's sake!!" I lamented, floating down in front of the baby's face. "I'm supposed to make people scream with terror!!" The child giggled, its tiny hands reaching out for me playfully. "Hey, don't you hear?! I'm scary!! GWAAAH!!!" I yelled at the infant, glaring at it in the most frightful manner I could imagine. The child blinked at me in surprise, then it started giggling again. A second attempt only made it laugh out louder as it renewed its efforts to grab me. "My, are you lively today!" the mother said, gazing affectionately at her child. "Do you like shopping so much? We can come here tomorrow again right away! Would you like that? Yes, you would like that, huh?" As she bent down to cuddle the baby, I quickly flew out of the way and to the next window, the encounter leaving a warmth in my heart that I knew was clearly listed under the 'don'ts' section of my job description…

_I knew it!!! They knew I'd fail right from the start!!! They just did it to annoy the hell out of me!!! Not to mention the punishment!!! _I shuddered._ Well, they've done it!!! I quit, here and now!!! Screw the old geezer, it's not like I'd get what I want from him anyway, no matter how hard I try!_

_But if I did it this way… _I thought about it for a while, pondering the possibilities._ Yeah, that might just work! Now I only need a trustworthy ally…_

Excited by my brilliant new plan, I hardly watched where I was flying, until I crashed abruptly into something solid, sending me tumbling to the ground in a daze. Yet, somehow I managed to avoid an actual collision with the pavement and regather my bearings. On the road in front of me sat a young man at the brink of adulthood, supporting himself with one arm and reflexively shielding himself with the other. He had short sky blue hair and his light brown eyes were scanning the surroundings for the source of the sudden blow.

_Dang… I gotta be more careful!! Stuff like this isn't supposed to happen!!_ I cursed myself for my absentmindedness, but decided there was nothing I could do, now that the blunder had happened. Before I could move on, though, a commanding voice called out: "Hey!!! Stop right there!!"

I froze in mid air. "Yes, I'm talking to you!!" _He can't possibly see me, can he?_ I thought to myself. Slowly turning back around, I saw that the stranger had gotten to his feet, still looking around warily. "This is plain rude, knocking people over and not even apologizing!! Are you such a coward that you can't even show your face?!"

"Oh shut up!!!" I yelled, my frustration getting the better of me. "I've got my own share of problems!!! It's not as if you can hear me anyway!" I added less forcefully.

"Actually, I hear you quite clearly." he said, staring in my direction. "Although you seem to be invisible. I don't know how you did that, but you might want to be more careful, whoever you are. There are people out there who would kill for that sort of knowledge."

I laughed despite myself. "I doubt that it would help them much, even if they managed to kill somebody who isn't really counted among the living." I chuckled at the boy's confused expression. "I'm inherently invisible to human, because I'm an angel."

"An angel." The stranger obviously didn't believe his ears. "You mean like, these guys with big white wings who act as God's messengers?" I nodded before realizing that he couldn't see the gesture, but he wasn't really expecting an answer. "Yeah right." he said, shaking his head. "A real angel wouldn't bump into people on the street."

"I didn't watch where I was flying!!" I said hotly, feeling my agitation return. "Like I said, I had stuff to think about!!" Evading a passenger who was walking right into me, I added: "Besides, my wings are black and I haven't been working for God lately…"

"You're saying you are… an evil angel?!"

"Yeah, and I hate it!!!" I proclaimed, letting out an audible sigh.

"That's really weird." he muttered, looking even more baffled. "Evil people usually don't complain about their job. They get some sort of sick pleasure out of what they're doing."

"But I'm not even good at it!!" I exclaimed with desperation. "You know what they told me after my last assignment?! They punished me because 'no lasting harm' had come from my actions!!! Pah!!" I muttered darkly. "No lasting harm! Nearly broke my heart, it did!! Even if that poor girl or her parents aren't scarred for life, I am for sure!!"

I paused, breathing heavily. "The working conditions are miserable, too!! Wages are paid in the currency of pain, and I have been getting way too many pay rises lately!!!"

The young man was looking at a spot half a foot to my left, as I had to dodge another passer by and moved closer to the shopping window. "Sounds like it's time you seriously reconsidered that occupation."

I sighed again. "I've reached that same conclusion. I've been planning to quit for some time now, but that's just the beginning of my problems…"

"Would you mind us going somewhere a little more… …private?" he asked, whispering. "While I certainly find peoples' confused looks amusing, I doubt seeing me talk to thin air will help their assessment of my mental state…"

I smirked at his choice of words. "What do you have in mind?"

"Over there." He indicated a café just across the street. "Just follow me. If you walk closely behind me, nobody should notice."

I grinned to myself as I trailed after him. _He thinks I'm a full grown angel, as tall as a human!!_

I followed him into the café and to a table in a secluded corner that was barely visible to other customers. Settling down on the middle of the table, I watched as the blue haired teenager ordered some kind of beverage.

"I suppose I'll try being one of the good guys…" I said when I was sure nobody was overhearing us. "But I'm not sure I can just go up there and say 'hey guys, I'm working with you now', you know? I'd prefer to have some… results, to prove my sincerity, before I approach them."

He nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything because the waitress was approaching with his drink. Placing a cup of a steaming black liquid in front of him, she asked: "Excuse me, but who did you just talk to? You looked to be alone…"

The young man smiled charmingly as he pulled a mobile phone from his pocket. "I was just phoning somebody." he said coolly. Then he bent closer and whispered: "Sometimes I can get a little carried away and forget that the other person isn't in front of me, you know…?"

She still looked at him skeptically. "With that thing in your pocket?!"

He grinned roguishly. "Modern technology is a wondrous thing, isn't it?"

The girl flushed and retreated, muttering something incomprehensible under her breath. When she was well out of earshot, I continued where I had left off.

"The thing is, I need a human partner to work with. I'm not powerful enough to fight those demons on my own…" I picked up the menu from the table and, with some effort, placed it on top of my head so that it seemed to hover in the air over the table. "I'm only this tall, you see?"

The guy grinned again. "Actually, I don't see. You're still invisible."

I groaned and he added: "Although I can picture the face you're pulling right now…"

"Demons, huh?" he said after a while, taking a sip from his coffee. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. If you exist, why not demons? Although I don't see how I could help you. I mean, I probably can't see them either, so how could I possibly help fighting them?" He paused, taking another cautious sip of the scalding hot liquid. "I understand that you can't very well ask one of heaven's angel's to help you, not mentioning your 'colleagues'…"

"No, no, it's not like that!! You see, even if I had intended to do the task that was given to me, I'd still have needed the help of a human! A great power was entrusted to me, but I can't use it, because it can only be reincarnated in a human person…" I trailed off suspiciously. "But why do you keep referring to yourself as that person?"

"Well, I might be willing to help you…" the teenager said, smiling slightly, then turning serious. "But I'm not sure I want an evil power inhabiting my body… What if it corrupts me?"

"It's not evil." I explained. "It was only used by the dark side. There's a difference, you know? You're not selling your soul to the devil and you won't be possessed or something. You will retain full control over your body and mind, and if it corrupts you, it's only to the extent that any kind of power or influence corrupts weak minded people. However, if that was the case, I wouldn't let you have it."

He tried to say something, but I cut him off. "Before we elaborate this further, let me just check your compatibility, okay?"

"Compatibility?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"This power can't just be given to anyone. Well, maybe it's possible, technically, but if the recipient is ill suited, he or she won't be able to harness it fully, or in the worst case, he or she won't we able to use it at all. But at that point it's not possible to remove it and it would be lost to us until the poor fool dies…

"And you're going to check whether I'm 'suited'." he said, more as a statement than as a question.

"Yes. There are two main criteria: Your strength of character, that is, what kind of person you are on the inside. I'll get a glimpse at your soul, but I can't read your mind and learn all your secrets or that kind of stuff. It's not going to hurt either… I think."

Ignoring the strange look he shot me, I went on. "The second part depends on your heritage, on the traits and attributes you received from your parents. I believe you humans call it 'genes'. But unless you've got a really nasty disposition towards this individual soul, you should be okay…"

"And what if I'm not 'suitable'?"

"In that case, I'm going to have to find another nutcase to convince that angels, demons and the like really exist…" I grinned again before realizing he couldn't see it. "But unless I'm a really poor judge of character, that shouldn't be necessary. You should suit my purposes very well."

"_Your_ purposes?" he asked in amusement, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I guess I'll have to deviate a little from the guidelines that were given to me. For my 'boss', you wouldn't be suitable at all, as you're not remotely ruthless enough. That's a definite requirement, you know, unless you're insane, of course. But insane people are hard to work with, even the most evil fiends avoid that if at all possible…"

He smirked, too, and I proceeded to call upon my powers to probe him. The stone on my forehead started to tingle, like it always did when I used my abilities. If anybody had been watching the table, they would have seen a yellow beam of light shoot out of thin air, enveloping the head of the young man.

_Hmm… His mind is obviously sound… yeah… strong willpower and sense of justice… loyal, too… yup, this guy is perfect._

_What a flattering assessment of my inner workings…_ I suddenly heard his voice in my head. _Wonder if he tells that to everyone…_

_Looks like he has a sense of humor as well… Hey, wait a second, you can hear me?!_

He shrugged nonchalantly. _Seems that way. Is there a problem?_

_Nobody told me of this!_ I complained. _Grr… I bet they purposefully withhold information like this from me… Oh well, it doesn't really matter. Let me just check your heritage…_

Carefully I drew forth part of the power to compare it to the boy's potential. At first I thought there had to be a mistake, so strong was the resonance within the teenager's mind. I opened my eyes; his blue hair had brightened to an almost whitish hue, occasionally flickering back to its normal color. Suddenly it made all sense.

"Dear God, you're Nagoya's son!!!" I cried out in shock, then, to my horror, I felt my control over our connection slip away. Passionately cursing my carelessness and stupidity, I did the only possible thing that was left and channeled all of the power into him, which I fortunately seemed to manage without rendering it useless or endangering his mental health. When the process was finished, I slumped down on the table, breathing heavily. "Damn. Darn. Heck."

"What was that?" he asked, touching his head gingerly. "You said it wouldn't hurt… and how do you know my last name?" He opened his eyes, which widened instantly. "I can see you now!!"

I gave him a moment to take in my appearance. "Access Time, Kuro Tenshi, at your service!" I grinned wryly as he introduced himself as Nagoya Chiaki. "You know, I kinda lost control there and was forced to transfer the power to you… When I realized you're Nagoya's son, I sort of forgot to hold it back… I'm really sorry…"

"Is this bad?" he wanted to know.

"Well, it's not reversible. For better or worse, I'm stuck with you now. Provided you're still willing to help me…" I looked at him anxiously.

"What about that compatibility thing? Will I be able to?"

I nearly laughed out with relief. "Your bloodline is as perfect as can be. I couldn't have found someone better suited for this job if I had searched the whole planet. That's what made me realize you're the son of that Nagoya fellow who caused such a riot with the Imps about two decades ago…"

"My father caused a riot in Hell?" His face was an expression of utter astonishment. "What did he do? And what is an imp? Aren't they these little guys with the pitchforks?

This time I really had to laugh. "You're right, that's what they look like in your lore. But it's actually more like a job description. You see, the Imp department is some kind of… perversion of the Cupid department they have in Heaven. But instead of bringing couples together, their objective is to bring together people who aren't compatible at all, so they might break up painfully or live all their lives in unhappiness…" I looked left and right and whispered: "Thank God they didn't make me work there…"

Chiaki frowned. "Are you even allowed to say God's name?"

I dismissed the question with a wave of my hand. "With all that's happening, invoking the Creator should really be the least of my worries, don't you think?"

He smirked. "But what did my old man have to do with those Imp guys?!" he asked, confused.

"Nothing much, actually." I admitted. "The imps have a second, little known purpose, though, which is to look for suitable 'heirs' for powers like the one you just received. These are the souls of people who lived long ago, and since few people are able to reincarnate them effectively, both sides in this eternal conflict are constantly searching for those who do. You're the reincarnation of Sinbad, the great seafaring explorer. Anyway, when your father and your mother met, it was plain to see for everyone that they'd end up together no matter what. Heaven didn't even assign a single Cupid to their case, because they were basically married already."

His face was expressionless as he took in the information. "Now usually, some overzealous fiend would have sent a bunch of Imps after them to drive them apart, in order to make himself a name with our evil overlord – something which still might have succeeded at that early stage and with appropriate numbers. However, the data gathered by the imps indicated that this couple's children might prove ideal heirs for the soul of Sinbad. They tipped off someone powerful and influential and when the highest instance got wind of this, they intervened immediately. They argued back and forth whether to drive this 'true love' apart, as allowing it to blossom would have been unacceptable under normal circumstances, or to leave them be, hoping their child could one day inherit Sinbad's soul. Normally, they would have tried to separate the couple after the child had been conceived, but in this case it was clear that no power in Heaven, Hell, or in between would be able to drive them apart once their relationship reached that level. Finally, Maou sama himself decided that they were desperate enough to allow their love to 'taint the world', if only a suitable heir for Sinbad could be gotten out of this."

"You mean, I was allowed to exist only because they saw a potential weapon in me, when I wasn't even conceived?" the boy asked numbly.

"They look at all humans that way." I tried to console him. "Tools at most, mere utensils to serve their evil purposes, but mostly they see you as pests, as a nuisance. I guess that's another reason I got this job… You see, even though it is considered high priority, the general distaste at the idea of working with a human ran so deep that nobody wanted it…" I shrugged. "The other reason is that I'm probably expected to blow it anyway, so they have an excuse to get rid of me for good…"

"They'd kill you just like that?!" he said, a bit shocked.

I waved my hand in casual dismissal. "Nah, that's neither painful nor permanent enough. If they'd kill me, I'd just be reborn, although I'd lose most of my memories in the process. They'd have to re teach me everything, or abandon me and risk me working for the light side instead."

"If you run over to the light side like you are now, it would do much more harm to them, though, seeing as how much you know…"

I laughed, then whispered: "I don't think they have a clue I never sympathized much with the cause of evil. In their minds, I just completely suck at it, even though I tried. At least that's what I chose to believe… Though I'm quite sure I wouldn't be here if anybody down there was seriously doubting my loyalty…"

"Down there, huh?" Chiaki grinned. "How does it look like?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, pretty dark, depressing and sinister." I said, shrugging. "Just the right amount to perfectly suit the mind of the average dark denizen." I smirked. "Although there's a lot less fire and brimstone than you humans would probably expect…"

Chiaki laughed. "Are all our expectations of the spiritual world that far from the truth?"

I grinned. "Pretty much, although you still got the most basic facts right. Usually it still applies that the good guys are residing in Heaven and the bad ones in Hell."

He smirked. "And you're the exception to that rule?"

"Yeah, although I hope we get that straightened out before long. Maybe then I'll finally be able to see her again…" I trailed off, my thoughts drifting back to that image that had been haunting me in my sleep for so long…

"Her…?" He looked at me puzzled for a moment, then understanding dawned on his face. "Can angels fall in love, too?!"

"We're more similar to humans than you think…" I said not without embarrassment; I hadn't meant to let that slip. "You'll laugh if I tell you that I've only been staying because I thought that maybe I could see her again if I managed to get a job done properly…"

"Is she a Kuro Tenshi, too?" he asked in confusion.

I laughed out bitterly, pacing the table. "I would have one less problem if she was. No, I had to go and get a crush on a Jun Tenshi, one of Heaven's apprentice angels!!! After I only got a single good look at her no less!! I just saw her on some kind of mission a while ago, didn't even talk to her or anything, and her face keeps popping up in my mind ever since!!" I sighed. "I'm so pathetic, ain't I?"

Chiaki smirked again. "Yep, you are. I see I don't have to worry about my own sanity yet. Apart from this whole 'talking to angels' stuff." he added as an afterthought.

I threw him a suspicious look and he explained: "Oh, I just met a really cute girl this morning. She probably lives in the apartment building I just moved into. Well, let's just say she remained in my thoughts. " He smirked, but seemed just the slightest bit embarrassed about it.

"I'll just bet…" I muttered.

"Still, your story still sounds a lot more pathetic!" he said mirthfully.

"Oh, you don't know how yours will turn out yet!" I said laughing, but I quickly turned somber again. "Still, you don't have to worry she'll run screaming or whack you across the head as soon as she sees you…"

"Huh? Why?" It was obvious he didn't understand.

I sighed in despair, stretching my wings. "I can't very well approach her with these clearly indicating that I'm an agent of the Devil, can I?! That's why I was staying. I wanted to ask for white wings once I managed to complete a couple of missions or something. It's rare, but some of the intelligence people have them, so I know it's possible. But I've realized that I can consider myself lucky to still have wings at all, what with all those repeated failures…"

Chiaki sat up straighter. "Well, let's try out the other side then. If you manage to convince them of your sincerity, I see no reason why they shouldn't grant your request." He grinned confidently. " I wonder if they had in mind the possibility that their little weapon could turn against them when they allowed my parents together. Well, I intend to be a painful reminder before long!"

"That's right! You now have the power to strike back at those who sought to use you! But most of all, you're living proof of your parents' love for each other, and no one can take that away from you!" I was laying it on a bit thick, but maybe this was just what he needed to hear. I was new to this 'helping people' business after all.

He shot me a skeptical look, his expression hardening. "I'm not too sure. My father wasn't even there when my mother died." he said, sounding quite disappointed.

"What? She's dead?!" My eyes widened at that new piece of information.

"She died when I was still little." He said, his eyes glazing over. "Some kind of terminal disease, probably cancer." He shrugged. "I didn't care what it was back then, and my old man never talks about it."

"Look, I didn't know your parents personally…" I said, hoping to offer him some comfort. "But there must be another reason for his absence. A bond of the kind your parents shared cannot be broken, neither through the flow of time, nor through other kinds of interference. Trust me, after your birth, many of the more powerful Fallen Angels and Archfiends wanted to try the impossible and break up your parents, but none of them came even close to harming their relationship. Some even tried to draw your baby self into the conflict, but their love was strong enough to protect even you from their influence. If their love had weakened over time, it would have taken little effort to drive them apart."

He still looked skeptical, but the bitter look had disappeared from his face; he now seemed to have doubts about the reason behind his father's behavior that had seemed the most obvious to his brain before. I was kind of surprised myself that my words could have such a strong effect on him. _I have hardly started being a good guy yet and I've already accomplished more than all these years in the service of evil… It's kind of funny, almost._

"Is it possible that my mother's death was caused by evil?" he asked after thinking a while.

"Interesting idea." I mused. "Technically, yes, it's possible, but direct interference of that kind would be a serious breach of Immortal Law." Seeing his confused look, I explained further. "It's the set of rules governing the interaction between the two factions of the spiritual world and the world of humans. Eons ago, a pact was forged between Kami sama and Maou sama, sealed with both their power. No creature of the spiritual plane can go against these rules without being instantly and unfailingly punished by the power sealed within the Immortal Law. An offence of this magnitude would mean being instantly and inadvertently wiped from existence.

"Besides, even if someone had dared disobeying the Law, they must at least have been semi powerful to affect the physical world like that. But I can't imagine someone in our realm hated your parents enough to forsake their own eternal existence. Only Kami sama or Maou sama themselves could probably still survive such punishment, but it would probably cripple either of them enough to decide this eternal conflict once and for all. So basically, unless your mother was involved in some pact with darkness, I don't see it possible that evil caused her demise."

The boy was silent for a while, pondering what I had just said. "Why a pact with darkness? I don't get that part."

"I thought it was a rather common theme in your tales, humans selling their soul, their health or something else to the Devil to gain other advantages in life. Immortal Law doesn't forbid agents of the Devil to propose such deals to humans, and the Law doesn't affect humans at all. But I honestly don't believe that either of your parents could have agreed to such a thing."

"I see…" He took another sip of his coffee, then looked at me again. "Thanks for telling me all of that. It still doesn't explain why he left her alone on her deathbed, though…" He looked away. "Now I'm even more confused than before…"

"Why don't you ask him when there's a good opportunity?" I asked him. "I know it's a touchy subject and all that, but…" I trailed off, seeing resolve harden in his face.

"I don't really get along with him well recently, but you might be right. I should confront him about it anyway, when there's a good possibility."

He let out a long sigh, then his demeanor changed to a more confident one again. "Let's get back to business for now. There was some kind of mission, right? What is our objective?"

I grinned. "There are two, actually. First, we have to seal demons. You see, Kami sama has been growing weak in the last few centuries. You've probably noticed that nowadays the general interest in God is rather low. Maou sama hopes he can win this eternal war with a direct assault, so he ordered his minions to collect the demons he had spread throughout the world so he can add their power to his own."

"Won't the demons complain if he does that?" Chiaki asked.

I laughed out loud at this question. "Most demons are barely capable of coherent thought. They are hateful presences that are guided only by basic instincts and a primal urge to cause pain and destruction. They usually hide in objects and possess the people who most appreciate their beauty. Only the stronger ones can actually take physical form… Anyway, we're going to seal them. We're not giving them to Maou sama, though…" I smirked briefly. "The second objective is to find the reincarnation of someone called Jeanne d'Arc. According to our sources, Kami sama has finally found a heir for that soul. More than five centuries have passed since the life of the original Jeanne d'Arc, but He has not been able to reincarnate her since then. If those guys down there are right, she's going to show up right here in Momokuri. I am supposed to find her and take her out. We should probably warn her at least; once they realize I'm not coming back, they'll probably send someone else after both of us."

"Makes sense…" Chiaki agreed. "What does she look like?"

"I can't say, because it depends on her host. We're bound to stumble across her sooner or later, though, if she really appears in Momokuri." I felt my face grow slightly hot as I addressed the next topic. "You know, while we're at it, we can also look for that other angel. She's been in the area before, so chances are, she'll show up here again. They often keep sending small angels like us to the same places. You can not only see me, but other beings from the spiritual world, too. She has green hair and emerald eyes, and she is about my size, so you'll know when you see her…"

Chiaki was wearing a broad smirk but said nothing. "Come on, it doesn't cost you anything to look!" I pleaded. "I'll help you out, too, if you ever need my help!!"

"Fair enough…" He said, still smirking. "That bad, huh?"

"Oh shut up…" I muttered. "I still have some tools to give you." I closed my eyes and concentrated again, shooting a beam of light at the surface of the table, where an object materialized. To my delight, it didn't turn out hideously deformed, but it looked just like it should. It was a thick, rectangular slab of blue, semi-precious stone, its edges and corners gilded and flattened to make it more comfortable to hold. In its center there was a large, circular disc of obsidian crystal. It was perfectly flat and smooth, yet looking at it gave me the impression I was looking at a multitude of concentric circles, like the age rings of a tree. Grouped below the disc were sapphires of varying size, flat circles of blue crystal inlaid into the stone. "This is Sinbad's special compass. It will help you locate demons and other things." I explained to him. "A black needle should point out demons if you get close enough to one. A violet one will point into my direction when I'm not with you, so you can see where I am. If you need me, press that gemstone and it'll send out a signal that will let me know you called me. You'll also use it to summon the weapons you'll use to actually defeat the demons."

"Problem is, how am I going to see a black arrow on black stone?" Chiaki objected, examining the object closely. "Besides, I don't see any needles in there at all."

"Oh, right, I think you can will them to appear if you focus on the desired target or something. The ones for demons or possessed persons should appear by themselves if you're close to either. Maybe you can even have it point at other things, I don't know." I paused to look at Chiaki who was still eyeing the obsidian centerpiece suspiciously. "Don't worry, it'll work when you need it. I've still got something else, though…" Concentrating again, I created a second object out of thin air. When I opened my eyes, however, I realized that something wasn't right this time. The object itself – a rosary made of ebony, with a cord wrapped around it in a stylish fashion – looked all right, but attached to it was a note with a diagram.

"This side up?!" Chiaki read, bent over it. I groaned; obviously someone had thought it was funny to allude to certain groups of eccentric people wearing upside down crosses and conducting weird and often tasteless rituals which actually had to do very little with being a follower of darkness. "This is just someone's idea of a practical joke." I said, embarrassed. "I guess I should be grateful that it wasn't coated in poison or something like that, but they probably knew it wasn't worth their hide to actually sabotage the mission. You can hold it whichever way you want." I ripped the note off and shot a focused beam of light at it, which caused it to burst into flame. "Anyway…" I said, tossing it behind me. "You use that to change into Sinbad, but you'll need me to infuse it with power first. Hang onto both of those items. They're pretty much indestructible by normal means, but if you lose them, we're screwed, because I can't make another pair…" I felt slightly faint after that exertion and I had to sit down.

"You created them? Not summoned them?" Chiaki asked, pocketing the things quickly before the waitress came back and spotted them.

"Sinbad's compass is a major artifact of power – only this one exists in this world. I don't know how or when the horned old guy got his claws on it, but without it, any reincarnation of Sinbad would be far less useful to his cause. The cross is just the conduit. It's replaceable, but it's still a magical artifact and needs a lot of power to create. I was just only given enough to make this one. Actually, as tired out as I am, I think they deliberately gave me slightly less again so I'd have to draw from my own reserves… Bastards…" I grumbled. "Mind if I take a sip?" I pointed at his coffee.

"Oh, go ahead." he said. "Although you'll probably have difficulty with a cup of that size…" he added skeptically.

"Just wait. I'll be back in a second." I flew behind the counter and when no one was looking, I quickly snatched one of the straws that were used for milkshakes and such. Grabbing my prize tightly, I managed to fly back to Chiaki without drawing the attention of the nosy waitress.

"Interesting idea." Chiaki commented when I arrived back at his table. "But I think it's still to large to fit in your tiny mouth."

"Just shut up and hold it in place like this!" I said, putting it on the table vertically. He put his finger on it and I fired another beam of light from my forehead, which I moved across the whole length of the straw.

"Whoa, be careful!!" he said, snatching his hand back and examining his finger, letting the straw that was newly split in two drop.

"Chill, man, I've got good aim…" I said it like it was the most natural thing, but I was still relieved when he found no burn marks on his finger. In wonderment he picked up one of the halves, which I had fused together at the edges to form new straws with smaller diameter. "Impressive." he said.

I ignored the compliment and stuck the second straw into the cup of coffee – which was still nearly full – and started drinking. A few seconds later, the cup was empty and I felt moderately refreshed. Noticing the disbelieving look the teenager gave me, I said: "What?"

"That coffee – that was probably more than your entire body volume!! And you drank it all!! You should look bloated as hell!!!"

"Don't worry too much about me." I grinned, patting my stomach. "You'd be surprised what fits in there… You've seen nothing yet."

"And what if I had still wanted some of that coffee?!" he asked, smirking slightly.

"You didn't." I said with mischief. "You ordered that only so we could talk here in peace."

"Dang, you got me again…" he said. "You know your way around pretty well here already…"

I grinned. "Before this, I did mainly surveillance work, scouting things out, because they don't trust me to get the actual jobs done…"

"Well, anyway, since I happen to have nothing better to do right now, why don't we try some demon hunting right now?" he suggested, standing and putting some coins on the table.

"It doesn't work that way." I told him, rising higher into the air and seating myself on his shoulder. "We need to find one first. There aren't literally hundreds of them out there. I am supposed to look for them and get you to recover it when I found one. It might take me a day or two to find one, unless I get lucky. But I can start looking right away."

"Then we'll do it that way. I'll use the time to unpack my stuff in the apartment." he said, slowly walking out of the café. "I'll use that compass thing when I'm there, so you'll know where to return to."

"Good idea. I'm going to ignore that first signal, I'll just take note of where it came from. If you see a demon or a possessed person, press the stone twice!" Looking back, I saw the waitress who had come to collect the money stare in confusion at the two straws and a small pile of ashes on our table.

"How do the demons look like, and how do I recognize if someone is possessed?" Chiaki wanted to know.

"You probably won't see a demon outside its hiding place, because they're the most vulnerable when moving around, but they generally look like translucent, dark purple shadows hanging in mid air. If they're in a piece of art, you can't see them, but your compass will point at the item in question. You can tell if a person is possessed if they seem to have suddenly changed, acting cold and uncaring and very much out of character. Their eyes will look empty and distant, but if you meet their gaze openly, they will recognize you for what you are. Your compass will also point at possessed person with a red needle. If you get close to one, it will radiate cold, so you are warned even if you are not looking at it. If that happens, call me immediately!" I jumped off his shoulder and hovered in front of him.

"Will do! I'll see you back at the apartment!" He gave me a short wave and turned around, walking away. I turned around also, shooting up into the sky. An image of emerald eyes drifted through my mind as I started concentrating on my spiritual sense, but I pushed it away. _Later…_ I told myself as I drifted aimlessly through the streets, well above the heads of people this time. _The quicker we catch some demons, the earlier I'll be able to talk to her… Now to start working in earnest!_

* * *

**The spiritual world / Reincarnation protocols: **I took some liberties with the explanations and the whole workings of the spiritual world, and how reincarnation works. For some reason, a system of reincarnation that wasn't determined by birth, but could be done at any time during the person's life appealed to me. It will have some importance in later parts.

**Access Time: **You know how Fin always accuses Access to be a servant of the devil, even if it isn't true? I thought, wouldn't be interesting if he actually was (supposed to be) evil, but he wasn't cut out for it at all, so he decided to desert? Access was a low level operative in the hellish hierarchy, but he does have some inside information and special tricks as a result, of which we will see more in later chapters.

March 16th 2007: Overhauled the description of Sinbad's compass, introducing new functionality. Don't say you weren't warned!

Next time: Witness Maron's first transformation to Kaitou Jeanne and Fin's terrifying encounter with a... squirrel?!

signing off...  
Quizer


	3. Chapter 03

Hello folks! Here is finally the long overdue new chapter. It took ages, but I hope the fact that it's more than twice as long as the last one makes up for it! Enjoy!

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* * *

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**Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne  
**Theft of Heart

Chapter 3: The First Recovery

(Maron)

Throughout the entire morning, I was hardly able to think of something else than Fin and all the things she had told me, and, of course, the objects she had conjured for me out of thin air. I didn't dare to take them out during class, but I kept fingering them inside my skirt pocket. Suddenly I found all of this very exciting, and I almost found myself wishing Fin would return soon, telling me she had discovered a demon. _I just hope they aren't too tough…_

I was abruptly yanked back into reality by a question of Pakkyamlamao-sensei, who had obviously noticed my lack of focus and pounced on the opportunity. Unfortunately I had been too immersed in my own thoughts to pay any attention to the lesson. "Um… What was the question again?" I asked sheepishly. I could virtually see Miyako rolling her eyes, even though she sat at the desk behind me. Glancing at the blackboard, I realized that the arithmetical problem displayed there was too difficult for me to answer after having dozed off for most of the lesson.

Luckily, I was saved by the sound of the bell from further embarrassing myself. I dashed out and went straight for the girls' bathroom. After confirming that it was completely deserted, I locked myself into a cubicle and pulled out the Petit Claire. "Fin? Are you there?"

Remembering what she told me, I pressed the red gemstone with the cross design on it. It didn't budge, and nothing happened. I pressed it again, with more force this time, but there was still no reaction. Just when I started wondering if this thing worked at all, Fin's face finally appeared in the large rose crystal. "Maron! Did something happen? Did you find something?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you." I grinned sheepishly as Fin wiped imaginary drops of sweat from her forehead. "Sorry if I startled you. Did you find anything?"

The angel shook her head. "Not a trace yet."

I sighed. "I'm bored out of my head here… I was hoping that if you found something, I could make up some lame excuse, skip school and do something exciting instead!"

"I didn't know you were THAT eager to go against rules…" smirked Fin.

Before I could say something in return, I heard the closet door open, letting the noise generated by the mass of chattering students into this secluded space. I motioned for Fin to be silent as footsteps drew near. "Maron?! Are you in there?"

I resisted the urge to groan. Standing right in front of my cubicle was Miyako, hands on her hips and a disapproving scowl on her face – which I couldn't currently see because of the door between us, but I knew it was there regardless.

"Stop pretending, I know it's you in there!" she said. I gave Fin an exasperated look; she seemed halfway sympathetic, but at the same time she clearly thought this was funny. Quietly I lifted my feet, so Miyako wouldn't be able to recognize me by looking through the gap under the door.

"Get out there now, Maron, I can see your shoes!" she announced loudly.

"Liar!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"A-HA!! So you ARE in there!!" she said triumphantly. I threw an apologetic look at Fin and mouthed 'sorry' at her before I pocketed the device.

"And what's wrong with that?!" I asked, unlocking and opening the door. "Can't a girl have some privacy once in a while?!"

"Of course not!! Heaven only knows what kind of ploys and schemes you could cook up if I leave you out of my sight for mere seconds!!! What were you doing in there anyway?!"

"What could I probably have been doing on the LOO?!" I yelled into her face which started looking slightly less suspicious by now. I washed my hands to keep up the charade and proceeded to drag her out and back towards the classroom. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you let all that detective work get to your head too much…"

"Well, I never know what you're up to!" she defended herself. "It is rather unusual for you to rush to the bathroom after the first lesson, and I certainly don't have to remind you of that time when–"

"No, you don't." I said firmly. "But I'm not that desperate right now, even though I should be; we've got French next!"

"You better watch out, because if you get yourself into detention again, I'm sooo not going to wait for you next time!!"

When we arrived back at the classroom, both of us reclaimed our usual seats and waited for Pakkyamlamao-sensei to return, which she did right on time, as always. As she strode back to her position in front of the class, she let loose a French 'good morning', which sounded way too cheerful for my tastes. I had trouble understanding the next jumble of words, but from those parts I did get and from the collective groans of my classmates I figured that she was announcing some kind of vocabulary test, which was confirmed a second later by frenzied whispers all around me.

I gulped as I met the stare of our teacher, which was directed at me and held a dangerous gleam. Readying myself for a difficult forty-five minutes, I barely managed to answer some of the questions she shot at the class; the fact that she was picking me far more often than she usually did surprised me very little after the look she had given me.

Unfortunately, the ordeal continued throughout the next couple of lessons which she taught as well. By the time it was lunch I was feeling jumpy, exhausted and emotionally drained. Even Miyako glanced sympathetically at me as we finally left the classroom for good, at least for today. "I bet it was the flowers…" she said.

"Huh?" I asked numbly, not really knowing what she was on about.

"Well, I don't believe you lucking out at the end of that lesson alone could make her that mad…" she elaborated. "So my theory is that she needed to vent her anger on someone, which just happened to be you!"

"Lucky me…" I muttered. "And there I thought that stupid bell saved me…"

"Cheer up!" Miyako said lightheartedly. "Chances are, tomorrow she'll have forgotten about it and she'll find herself a new victim…"

A quick lunch replenished some of my stamina, although I had to put up with the constant reprimands of Miyako, who was apparently worried about my athletic figure. "If you keep gorging yourself like that, you'll grow even fatter than you are already and you won't be able to participate in gymnastic competitions anymore! Not that that's a bad thing for me, but as a friend, I'm still worried about you…" She paused as she noticed I was looking at her in disbelief.

"Fat?! _Me_!?! It's yourself you should be worried about!!" I threw a pointed look at her midsection. "Ever wondered if maybe there is a reason why you came in third that last time?! When was the last time you had a good look at yourself in the mirror? Did it burst when you stepped in front of it?!" I paused, thinking. "You know, I bet it's because you worry too much about insignificant things, like rules, for example. All that stress has got to take its toll somewhere…"

Bickering like children, we moved on to our daily gymnastics practice. The familiar motions and exercises helped me calm down and mentally recover from this morning's tribulations. Time literally flew by and before I knew it, practice had passed and we were on our way home.

"Now we'll see if that guy from this morning actually did as he said and cleared out those boxes…" Miyako said with a challenging grin as we drew closer to the apartment building that we both called our home. "If I find a trace of cardboard left in the hallway, I'll hunt him down myself and then he'll regret messing with me, Toudaiji Miyako, the future head of the Momokuri Police force!!!"

I had to fight a blush as I recalled the encounter from this morning and I was glad Miyako was too caught up in her justice speech to notice. _It felt so strange, being held like that… but definitely in a nice way. I don't think I'd mind meeting him again… _I sighed._ Oh, who am I kidding?! I want him to hold me like that again, that's what… _Embarrassed, I looked around, but Miyako was gone. Apparently she had entered the elevator on her own already.

Turning right, I faced the rows of mailboxes. _Maybe today there's something…?_ I thought as I carefully opened the hatch, only to find it empty, as usual. _Well, one can always hope…_ I tried to console myself as I dejectedly closed it again and made my way towards the elevator.

When I stepped outside a couple of floors higher, I spotted Miyako right away. She was running towards me at high speed, waving through the air some kind of card that was roughly the size of a postcard. Her grin immediately made me forget all my troubles as I wondered what could probably excite my friend that much all of a sudden. _Can't think of anything, unless it has to do with her detective work again – which it probably has…_

"Hey Maron, look what just came in!!" she said as she skidded to a stop in front of me, thrusting the card in my direction. "It's a notice card!"

"Huh?" I took the card from her outstretched hand. It was adorned with ribbon-like designs around the corners and the kanji were precisely and exquisitely drawn, making the whole thing look way sophisticated. It read:

**Notice:**

**To Okaniwa-sama**

**Tonight, before the clock strikes twelve, the beauty of the 'Warrior of Fortune'  
will be mine.**

I glanced up from the card, giving Miyako a confused look. "What is a 'Warrior of Fortune'?" I asked, perplexed.

Miyako groaned in frustration at my obvious ignorance. "It's a painting of some sort. You DO know that paintings, especially famous ones, are given names, right?!"

"I suppose that means they want to steal it, then…" I said, slowly grasping what this notice was about. My friend nodded, still looking very excited. "Uh-huh. This was sent straight to that Okaniwa fellow. Reported having found it suddenly lying on the table, in plain view."

"What kind of person would publicly announce their own crime, BEFORE committing it?!" I asked incredulously.

Miyako scratched her chin in thought. "Well, they'd have to be incredibly dense, insane, or overly self-confident. Or just plain suicidal. Considering how it's signed, I'm kinda torn between the latter two…" She snorted. "Honestly, who has ever heard of a suicide thief?!"

Puzzled, I looked back at the card to check out the signature – and froze.

**Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne**

Time seemed to grind to a stop temporarily as my mind slowly registered what this meant. _That notice is from me!!! Or rather, from my newly acquired alter ego… But I never wrote a card like that, let alone sending it!!! This can mean only one thing – Fin!!!_

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Miyako continued talking. "Dad said he hasn't ever heard of this 'Kaitou Jeanne' before. He thinks it might be a hoax, but he has given me leave to investigate this on my own and arrest her, if she actually turns up. My trap might be put to good use after all…" She winked and grinned. "Well, I gotta go. Start preparing, you know…"

I mechanically handed her the card back, but she shook her head. "Nah, I won't be needing that. I checked for fingerprints already, there are none. But if she's there, I'll catch her anyway, so it doesn't matter. Well, see you tomorrow!!!"

With that, she exited through the elevator and left me standing in the hall, feeling thoroughly dumbfounded. When I finally shook off my stupor, I unlocked the door to my apartment and entered, switching on the lights. I placed the card on a dresser and lazily stripped out of my school uniform, allowing myself a small moment of peace. That was cut short, however, when suddenly the bathroom door opened and Fin came flying out. "Hi, Maron-chan!!" she exclaimed cheerfully, floating towards me.

Deciding to get straight to the point, I grabbed the notice card and all but shoved it into her face. "What is the meaning of THIS?!" I demanded, causing Fin to stop dead in her tracks, a nervous grin growing on her face as I recounted the encounter in the hallway. "Why did you have to inform the whole world, including my friend Miyako, that I'm going to have to steal a world famous painting!?!" I paused, thinking about that last part. "Well, maybe not that famous, since I've never heard of it before, but that's beside the point!!"

"Well, um… er…" Fin stuttered, eyeing the card nervously. "The truth is, I don't really know either – the guys up there told me to do it, though!" she added hastily as my eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's some kind of mandatory procedure, to legalize the whole thing before Immortal Law… I can't really say, though; I don't know the next thing about Immortal Law. I've just been to the Strengthening Ritual once…" She stopped babbling and looked up at me with her big green eyes. "Are you mad?"

I sighed, then shook my head. "It's impossible to stay mad at you for long." I admitted with a wry grin. "But I do wish you'd told me beforehand. It was quite a shock to learn my plans for this evening from an unsuspecting Miyako…"

"Well, you seemed pretty eager when you talked to me at school this morning, so I thought I'd not waste any time… I deliberately chose midnight as the time limit so we would have ample time to prepare…"

"What?!" I interrupted while I slipped into my casual set of clothes. "You mean I actually have to be on time?!"

"Oh, nothing bad will happen if you don't keep your appointment, but we don't want to disappoint your friend now, do we?" she teased, floating obnoxiously close to my ear. "From what I gathered, she seemed pretty eager to catch you…"

I laughed and aimed a playful swat at her, which she dodged with a giggle. "I'm not just going to let her though!" Growing more serious again, I said: "Miyako's dad apparently thinks the notice is a fraud or some kind of bad joke, but Miyako seemed quite serious about it. Then again, she's serious about almost everything, but I still can't help but wonder… Will I be okay?"

"Don't worry too much." Fin said reassuringly, seating herself on top of my head and making herself comfortable. "Even if she takes that notice at face value, she'll still expect a regular if conceited thief. Which you aren't. If you do it right, she won't know what hit her…" She winked. "You'll know what I mean after the transformation, but let's get to the place first. You can't be seen skulking around as Jeanne here…"

"A transformation?" I asked curiously as I fixed myself a small snack. "You mean I'll be wearing disguise?"

"No, no, your body will change for real…" Fin said, floating down and taking an enormous bite out of the miniature sandwich I had prepared for her. "I'm looking forward to seeing it myelf. Lets go, shall we?" She shoved the other half in her mouth and floated over to the apartment door. I stared at her in disbelief for one second, then shrugged and followed her, grabbing my own sandwich. "Will I look like Jeanne d'Arc from five hundred years ago?" I asked as we strode over to the elevator. I had to suppress a laugh when Fin tackled the elevator button that would take us to the ground floor, ramming into it with her shoulder. "No…" she said, shaking her head. "Your own appearance will be… factored in as well. You'll look like an entirely new person. You might resemble your usual self a bit, but not enough for anyone to actually recognize you…"

I let Fin lead the way and simply followed where she flew, munching on my sandwich and just enjoying the evening breeze. Along the way, we passed an intersection that uncannily resembled the one I passed in my dream this morning, but I was reassured by the fact that snow and ice were nowhere to be seen. I shrugged off the feeling and increased my pace, hurrying after Fin.

The sun had already set when the angel finally stopped. "It's the big house over there." she said, pointing at the far end of the street. "The target is on the third floor. I'll guide you to the exact location once we're in…"

"Did you scout out the perimeter of the building?" I asked her. "I'm not going to just walk down the street, Miyako is out there somewhere. She once told me that more than fifty percent of today's housebreakers actually approach their target by the front door…" Wondering if they had binoculars, I quickly disappeared into an alleyway. _Might be a worthwhile investment for me, too if I am going to make a habit out of this…_

Fin nodded in understanding. "Follow me." While we circled around the mansion, keeping a good distance, Fin explained the layout of the building. "A stone wall surrounds the entire structure and the garden that belongs to it. It's about eight feet high, you should be able to jump that with ease… You should probably watch out for the spikes on top, though…" She trailed off when she noticed the incredulous look I was given her.

"Eight feet?! You've gotta be kidding. I'm good, but not that good…"

"Oh, you can do even better than that…" Fin grinned. "You just don't know it yet…"

Eventually, we arrived at the backside of the residence. A tree-lined path lead to the back entrance, but you could tell it was hardly used, if at all, since it didn't match the splendor of the almost manor-like property in the slightest.

I stopped a fair distance away from the imposing gate of wrought steel that was set into the wall, hiding my frame behind a tree. Through the vertical bars I could sneak a peek into the garden which was filled with several trees and larger scrubs. It was the kind that had children fairly itching to play hide-and-seek.

"Maybe the front gate wasn't such a bad idea after all…" I whispered to Fin. "They could hide a whole battalion of police officers out there without me being any the wiser…"

"That's why I'm with you." Fin grinned. "I'll go and scout things out before you actually go in there. Now, if you could hold out that rosary for me…"

I did as she asked and watched curiously as she closed her eyes and shot a rose-colored beam of light at the large center crystal, lasting for about three seconds. When she finished, the crystal was sparkling from the inside, emitting a soft light. "You will be able to change now. All you have to do is to pray to Jeanne d'Arc to grant her powers to you."

"Pray?" I asked, looking somewhat dubious. I had never really been a religious person, not even slightly so. However, looking at the angel in front of me, I felt that I could muster some honest belief in God's existence. "But why pray to Jeanne?"

"Well, these are Jeanne's powers we are talking about. It's kinda fitting that you ask her, don't you think?"

"What if she won't give them to me?" I asked anxiously, aware of the fact that if prayers were always and instantly responded to by the fulfillment of all of the person's wishes, God would be a lot more popular these days.

"Hey, I told you we're in a fix up there, didn't I?" Fin asked, slightly exasperated. "I doubt I'd even have been sent to you with her soul if she wasn't willing to help you do this. Now let's get moving, save the questions for when we're back at your flat, celebrating victory!"

"Okay, okay…" I placated her. "Why don't you have a look at that garden while I do this? Check if there are policemen hidden in the bushes or trees or something. Hm, I wonder if Miyako has enlisted the four seasons…" I mused aloud. "Well, either them or a bunch of normal policemen, she's definitely not here alone. Oh, please check the windows facing this way, too."

"Hai!!!" Fin confirmed, performing a mock salute in mid-air. "Better keep that Petit Claire ready!" she advised before she flew off, disappearing through the steel bars of the gate.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, sending my thoughts up to heaven. "Jeanne d'Arc…" I whispered. "Lend me your strength."

As soon as I had finished speaking, intense purple light burst forth from the rosary in my hands, bathing me in its glow. Wings suddenly exploded from my back, shining with an ethereal deep pink light that didn't reveal any texture or shape, although they stretched out at least twice my height in both directions.

Before I could even think about trying to move them, however, they coiled around me and burst into pink flames which instantly engulfed my entire body, creating a blazing cocoon that separated me from my surroundings. It did not hurt; in fact, I could not remember having even come close to feeling such a strong sense of peace and security. At the same time, a strange exhilaration burned its way up my chest as I felt the power fusing with my core, tempering my body and rewriting the very essence of who I was.

Eventually I felt my fiery sanctuary being pierced by a strong breeze which blew away the flames, leaving only a thin layer of that mystical power on my body's surface. A sudden uncontrollable motion of my right leg catapulted me high into the air. I found that I still had wings, although they were a bit more solid and only slightly longer than my height each. Acting through instinct, I managed to use them to glide forward as the power carried me still higher above the treetops, giving me a good aerial view of the garden adjoining the mansion. A tiny speck of white was just emerging from one of the bushes; at least I figured it was white, since my whole eyesight was still covered by a pink hue.

A moment later though, the remaining layer of glowing pink disappeared, reforming into skin, hair and clothing, the change starting from my head and eventually covering all of my body. With a small shock I realized that I had lost my wings to the white costume I was now wearing. _Oh well, I could hardly have sneaked around the house with those bulky things on my back…_ I thought to myself. Still, I found that was only a small consolation as the last flickers of pink disappeared around me and I felt the pull of gravity resume its influence on me.

Fortunately my body knew what to do. Strangely detached I observed how my left knee drew up to my chest while my right leg thrust out. With my arms raised, I gracefully soared downwards at an angle that shouldn't have been possible and finally landed in a tree just outside the garden. Miraculously, the maneuver not only left intact both my ankle and the branch I landed on, but also refrained from making even the slightest noise. Even the rustle of leaves I would have blamed on the slight breeze, had I not felt them brush across my skin when I entered the treetop.

Looking around, I realized that my senses had vastly improved during the transformation. I had no problems making out the tiniest details in the darkness whereas before, I had regretted not bringing a flashlight. I watched Fin pull a slightly wary face as she entered another bush, causing a noise that made me want to yell at her mentally, half expecting the inhabitants of the house to rush out into the garden to see what was going on.

A second later, a terrible high-pitched scream pierced the nightly atmosphere and I had to use all of my newfound control over my body to keep from tumbling out of the tree in shock. With another rustle, a disheveled-looking Fin emerged from the shrubbery and hurtled towards the exit, fleeing the garden with as much speed as she could muster.

"Fin!!! What's with this racket?!" I hissed as the angel hovered in front of me, breathing heavily. _Damn it, she could give Ms. P and her flute a run for her money…_

"I was attacked by a stupid squirrel!!!" she shot back, tugging at a small leaf that had become entangled in her hair. "I want to see how you react to that when you're my size!!"

Once again I had to struggle to keep from falling off, though this time it was from barely concealed laughter. "A squirrel?!" I giggled unabashedly. "Aw… did it try to hug you? Or did it mistake you for an acorn?" Had I been on the ground, I would have collapsed in a wheezing heap; as it was, I could only lean against the trunk for support.

"It's not funny!!!" Fin protested, blushing with embarrassment. "It was blinking menacingly with eyes this big!!" she exclaimed, using her hands to show the size. "It's paws were already stretched out to grab me!!" She shuddered. "I escaped by the skin of my teeth!"

I realized that my current chances were pretty slim to convince the angel that squirrels always have their paws in front of them and that it probably was just curious, but any efforts to calm myself down proved little successful.

Fin shook her head. "Please, can we just forget this ever happened? It's nice to see that undergoing a complete change like that couldn't ruin your mood, but I'd much prefer us getting this show on the road." She let out a long sigh as I slowly calmed my giggles, then looked back at me. "Nice eyes, by the way. Purple suits you."

"I've got purple eyes?" I blinked, instantly forgetting about the squirrel.

"Actually, it's more of a shade of amethyst." Fin specified, her embarrassment slowly fading away. "I think it goes well with your hair."

"You don't happen to have a mirror with you, do you?!" I asked, half-joking but honestly curious about my new appearance.

Fin rolled her eyes. "Vain, aren't we?! You know, if you promise to stop stalling, I might actually be able to let you have a look at yourself…"

"Hey!!" I protested. "I'm not stalling!!! It's just that… well, it's not like I've done this transformation thing before, is it?!"

"And now you're scared, is that it?" Fin grinned deviously. "You think you'll fail, right?!"

"I'll show you failure!!!" I growled, my spirits bolstered by the power that seemed to inhabit every fibre of this body, only waiting to be unleashed. "But first, show me the face that will be on the cover of every newspaper tomorrow!!"

"That's what I wanted to hear…" Fin said, satisfied. She closed her eyes and shot a wide beam of light straight at my face. Surprisingly it 'hit' the air in front of me, forming a glowing circular surface. When the glow disappeared a second later, I could see my reflection in it.

Fin obviously hadn't lied; my eyes indeed were a striking shade of violet. That wasn't the only thing that had changed, though. My facial features had changed enough to make me look like an entirely new person and I didn't doubt that it could withstand a close scrutiny from Miyako, who had been my friend for ages. My hair was now a shade of yellow which to call a mere blond would have done injustice to the color. It had apparently grown several inches during the transformation and – I shifted a little to adjust my perspective – was separated into three strands that hung in the air in a way that defied gravity. The middle one was held in place by a ribbon that was similar to the one Miyako wore in color and shape, but was tied into a stylish bow that was about twice as large as Miyako's. Looking at my ears, I realized that I was wearing large pendant earrings that looked like crescents of gold mounted on the tips of oblong magenta crystals; the pointed ends of the lunate shape piercing the part that was actually attached to my ear, a sphere of the same reddish-purple crystal. Over my forehead I was wearing a teardrop crystal of the same material.

"I don't look like a thief." I said in wonderment.

"Of course you don't!!" Fin said indignantly. "You're a Kaitou, remember? You can't just look like any two-bit robber!"

"But look at me!!" I complained. "I'm not even remotely sneaky!! I should jingle like a set of wind chimes with all this stuff I'm wearing!!" I paused for a second. "You know, but for some strange reason, I don't… If it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't even noticed that teardrop thingy across my forehead until I looked into your mirror, I'd be tearing it off right now because it should be annoying the hell out of me…"

The reflective surface I gestured at a moment ago had started to waver now that Fin wasn't maintaining it with her beam of low-intensity light anymore. The angel flew closer to me, passing right through it and dispersing it fully. "If Miyako thinks anything along these lines, she's going to sorely underestimate you, even more than she is bound to do already… Now get out there, it's time to prove that your skill can compare to your looks!"

"All right." I said and dropped out of the tree, landing on the ground below without having to do anything to cushion my fall. Quickly I covered the remaining couple of feet that separated me from the wall. "I take it you didn't find anyone hiding in the bushes and trees?" Fin's cheeks coloring slightly as she thought back to the incident that ungracefully interrupted her search, but she nodded. "But someone's watching the garden from the second floor, third window from the left. The others were clear when I checked."

"Good." I moved along the wall until I reached a tree that was standing on the other side. I aligned myself so that it was between me and the window and, without hesitation, jumped across the wall, grabbed a branch of the tree and pulled myself up with an ease that I found almost disquieting. Again, the movement caused only a small rustle that even someone sitting at the base of the tree might well have missed.

"I'd like to stage some distraction." I said to Fin, who had simply followed me through the air, bothered by neither gravity nor the need to hide from people. "Since this is Miyako we're dealing with, I'd opt to go for something subtle. Got any ideas?"

Fin thought it over, then slowly shook her head. "I can't think of anything that could divert his attention and still be inconspicuous enough to appear random." She paused for a bit. "I could watch him, however, and tell you to make a dash for it when his attention wavers."

"Is that going to happen?" I asked skeptically. "We're talking professionals here…"

"No matter how experienced they are, they're still human and as such they are bound to make mistakes." Fin explained. "There's got to be a couple of seconds he doesn't pay attention, that should be enough for you to make a break for it." She shrugged. "If it doesn't work, you'll just have to force your way through. It will be harder, but not impossible. Your speed is matchless; if you use that to your advantage, you'll be unstoppable!"

"Matchless, huh?" I grinned. "I like the sound of that…" I pulled out the Petit Claire, which miraculously still was in the same place I had put it in my other set of clothes. Looking down my body, I realized that the rosary was now part of my dress, attached to the fabric slightly above my breasts. _I didn't even notice it had left my hand… Curious…_

Pushing the thought aside, I gripped the Petit Claire tighter, looked at Fin and nodded. "Let's go."

While Fin flew away to watch the guard at the window, I dropped down, hiding behind the tree trunk. "How does the person at the window look like?" I asked through the Petit Claire.

"Let's see… brown hair, almost black; grey suit with orange tie, broad build…"

"That's Haruta." I said, remembering the slightly stocky man. Being Miyako's friend, I had seen all of the senior officers on numerous occasions. "So she has the four of them with her after all. This isn't going to be easy…"

Patiently, the two of us waited, but for several minutes, nothing happened. This didn't surprise me much, though. _You don't achieve their rank without lots of skill, dedication and, not least, patience._

Eventually, Fin's bored expression within the crystal changed. "He's looking at his watch!! Move!!!"

Wasting no time, I left the shelter of the tree and ran towards the doorway at top speed, which was significantly faster than anything I could have normally managed. Only my heightened senses kept me from tripping over my own feet.

It didn't take me more than two seconds to cut the distance in half and hide behind another tree along the path. "He's back at full attention!" announced Fin. "Stay where you are!"

"Did you catch the time on his watch?" I asked through our connection.

"Um… 22:41." Fin answered.

"That late already?!" I whispered in surprise. "Guess the trip here took longer than I thought it had…"

"At least we don't have to worry about the time limit." the angel said. "Once you're in there, it'll take no more than a couple of minutes, unless you manage to fall asleep during the job…"

"I only need another three seconds!" I muttered, slightly frustrated after another long wait. "How long do you think it'll take him to forget the time again?" I asked hopefully.

"Don't get your hopes up, these police blokes are supposed to have pretty good memory…" Fin grinned, then suddenly turned serious. "He's pulling out some kind of walkie-talkie!! He's still looking outside, though, so stay put!"

"He's probably reporting to Miyako every quarter hour or so…" I muttered.

"He's talking to someone now…" Fin continued to describe the guard's every move. "He's turned away from the window, run, now!!!"

That was all it took. Barely three seconds later I stood at the entrance, which was covered by a roof and thus out of sight for the guard, so for now I didn't have to worry about being seen. I was still marveling at how quickly I had crossed a distance that would have taken my normal, fairly athletic self at least triple the amount of time when Fin joined me a couple of seconds later.

Looking at the door, I realized I was rather ill-equipped for breaking into a house. The lock on the door wasn't overly dramatic; it was the same kind of simplistic everyday device that guarded the door to my own apartment. Still, at the moment it provided a serious obstacle that separated me from my goal. I didn't have to check to know that it was locked, although I was sure it was more a matter of principle than anything else. Miyako certainly wouldn't expect a mysterious thief with balls enough to announce their theft beforehand to fail at this stage.

I knew I could easily kick the door down, but that would announce my presence to everyone inside the house, and I wasn't ready to deal with that yet. I also didn't want to damage anything if I could help it. There was a significant difference between removing a demon-infested object and doing actual damage to people's property in the process. _Besides, it would be really crude._

"You know…" I turned to Fin, frowning. "This superhuman speed is pretty cool and all that, but it doesn't really help me to get past that door. I figure having some tools would come in handy right now."

Fin grinned. "Actually, you have with you all the tools you might ever need. You can use the Petit Claire to summon all manner of tools. Just think of what you want and call it forth. The only limit is your imagination." She paused to let that revelation sink in. "Doing that will consume spiritual energy though. It will make you feel exhausted and you can do it only so often. Keep your creations simple to conserve your power."

"What is this spiritual power?" I asked, intrigued.

"It rests in every living thing." Fin explained. "Only very few humans have the ability to use it, though. Given your obvious importance in the scheme of things, you have been granted that power. It's like a form of magic that is condoned by Heaven." She grinned, shaking her head. "Raphael-sama would have my wings if he heard me describing the power of miracles like that…" I arched an eyebrow at her. "He's the most conservative of the four archangels. He believes there is a firm difference between spiritual power and the dark magic that the other side uses. I think that's nonsense. It's just as possible to abuse this power, to use it for personal gain or for the sake of evil. It all depends on the person who wields it. I don't think he'd agree with me though…"

She shook herself, forcing the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind. "Okay, time for you to use that pretty little head of yours and get us through this door!" She smirked. "And do hurry, will you?!"

Itching to try out this power, I closed my eyes, wild ideas running through my head. Plans were formed and dismissed again, being impractical or too complicated. Then it hit me: _What better way to open a door than a key?_

"Key to Rewards, come forth!!" I commanded, holding out the Petit Claire. The rose crystal started to shine as a shape emerged from its depths. The light stopped when it had fully risen, allowing me to look at the key that was sticking out of the surface. A multifaceted crystal heart of a slightly darker rose color made up the top. It was framed by a heart-shaped ring of gold which elongated into the actual key part. When I pulled it out of the Petit Claire's crystal, it became obvious that it had no distinct shape; it simply ended in a cylindrical stem.

Fin eyed the key doubtfully. "I don't think it will fit into that lock…" she said, examining said lock closely.

I grinned. "The lock that this little beauty doesn't fit into has yet to be invented. Watch this." Turning to the door, I slowly pressed the key into the lock, ignoring the fact that the slit-like hole was far too thin for the key to normally fit. When it was stuck deep enough, I let go of the handle and watched as it slowly turned of its own volition. A soft click told me a second later that the door had been unlocked, although it was barely audible. A second later, the key exploded into a myriad of tiny spiritual particles, which quickly dispersed.

"Wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands now, would we?" I smiled. Fin looked suitably impressed. "Interesting." she commented. "I think I'm glad you managed to hold onto your imagination this morning…"

"She took my sanity instead…" I muttered, rolling my eyes. "You know, that dream was rather vivid. Could it be possible that I'm dreaming this as well?"

"Don't make me hurt you again!" Fin scowled, but she quickly relented. "I can see what you mean, though. This _is_ rather exciting! But aren't you worried about facing Miyako?"

"I'm actually looking forward to it." I confessed. "I always enjoyed matching wits with her. This takes it to a whole new level. It's the challenge of my life! And I'm even doing it for a good cause!" I grinned. "I'll just have to be make sure she never finds out…"

"That's right, you can't let anyone know it's you." Fin said seriously. "There's no telling what will happen if people find out. You might have to abandon your flat and go into hiding…"

"I'd have to abandon my life?" The shock on my face must have been visible, because Fin immediately tried to reassure me. "Only in the absolutely worst case! Nobody is going to recognize you like this. In this form, the only things that can betray you are your mouth, and the absence of your real self."

"Phew, that's a relief." I said. "I guess I'll just have to watch what I say around Miyako. My absence shouldn't be a problem, if Miyako continues to try to catch me every time. Which I'll just have to ensure!"

"I'm sorry for not telling you about this risk… I didn't really consider it." Fin said, looking down. "If you really don't want to do this, I understand. You can turn around and walk away. Kaitou Jeanne will be nothing but a harmless joke that will be forgotten quickly…"

"Are you kidding?!" I said, grinning. "Of course I am going through with this! I told you I would do it, didn't I?"

Fin's relief was clear as she shot towards me, hugging my face. Awkwardly, I patted her back, making sure to be extra careful because of her size. Fin let herself sink back into my hand and I could see the determination quickly return to her face as she got to her feet. "Come on then, let's do this!" she said, pushing a fist into the air.

"Wait a moment." I said, holding up a hand. "Unless everything I have ever known about Miyako is wrong, there'll be a guard inside that room, and the first thing he'll do when he sees me is alert the others. I can't just walk in there."

"You'll have to move quickly then and take him out before he can do that." Fin suggested.

"That's what I'm about to do. Now stop pestering me, I need to concentrate." I said good-humoredly.

Fin gave me a highly affronted look, but she kept silent and watched. Taking a step back, I quickly but silently yanked the door open and sped in, entering a fairly big lounge. The room was tastefully decorated; a couch and armchairs which were placed around a cocktail table made up the center of the room. A fireplace was situated behind the sitting arrangement, but at the moment, there was no fire in it. Doors at either side of the room led further into the building.

I instantly spotted Natsuda standing near the door on the right. The young policeman barely had time to stare at me in surprise before I moved behind him and gave him a solid whack across the head, knocking him out cleanly. I quickly caught him before his falling body could make any noise and lowered him onto the floor. "Did I hit him too hard?" I asked Fin anxiously.

"He'll be fine." Fin said after briefly checking him over. "He'll have a headache when he wakes up, but nothing permanent." She shot out a beam of light which enveloped his head. After two seconds, she let it fade away. "This should keep him asleep and out of our hair long enough to finish this."

Beside him, I noticed a walkie-talkie which he must have dropped earlier. Grinning, I picked it up and stashed it away for later use. If all went well, I would be able to have some fun with it when this was over…

Standing, I turned to Fin. "So which way is the painting?"

"It doesn't matter which door you go." Fin said. "Both should lead through a series of rooms that meet up in a hall roughly above this room. You'll have to get through there to get to the third floor. The path through the left door is shorter, though…"

I shook my head. "It would be a mistake to assume that the paths are guarded differently. Miyako always thinks at least two steps ahead. She'll probably have both paths guarded equally, or more likely, she will concentrate her forces at the junction rather than splitting them. I can't imagine she has a lot of manpower…"

I shrugged. "But since I have to take one of the two, let's just go right."

Carefully, I leaned against the door and listened. My sensitive hearing would alert me to any human sounds in the next room. When I didn't even hear breathing, I opened the door and went inside, closing it behind me again without a noise.

This room was a narrow hallway, with alcoves along the way which were filled with busts and statues of persons, none of which I recognized. _Probably ancestors of the owner or something…_ I thought.

As I progressed through the hallway, I noticed a faint humming noise that seemed to grow more distinct as I advanced. What troubled me was the fact that I wasn't able to pinpoint the direction it came from. Earlier in the garden I had had no problems locating various animals by the noises they made, some without even looking in their direction. But this peculiar sound seemed to come from multiple directions at the same time, obfuscating my senses.

I finally stopped between the bust of a bearded old man and a painting of what seemed to be lovers meeting under a moonlit sky. As there was no warrior on it, I didn't bother trying to make out details. "Fin, do you hear this humming?" I hissed.

Fin stopped in mid-air for a second, listening, then nodded. "Oh, that humming. Don't worry, it comes from all those electrical things these silly humans use…"

"Silly humans, eh? I'll be sure to warm your milk over an open fire next time… I'm sure you won't mind it being burnt or taking triple the amount of time…"

Further conversation was cut short however when suddenly four bright spotlights flared to life over my head, blinding me temporarily. Before I could gather my wits, Miyako's voice rang out from a speaker unit in one of the adjacent alcoves: "You are surrounded, intruder!! Surrender now, or face the consequences of violating the law!!!"

I darted forward to escape the barrage of spotlights, fumbling for the walkie-talkie in my pocket at the same time, but as soon as I reached the next pair of alcoves, another quartet of lights went on over my head. Listening around, I could hear shuffling noises in the rooms adjacent to and above my location, but for now I was still alone.

Taking confidence from that fact, I pressed a button on the walkie-talkie and held it to my ear. "Kaitou Jeanne here." I said, trying to keep my smirk under control. "Thanks for the offer of hospitality, but I think I'd rather have a look around first. I hear there's some kind of famous painting around here somewhere…"

"Where did you get this device?!" Miyako asked, surprised.

"Oh, this?" I said cheerfully, patting the microphone on the radio device, grinning as I imagined Miyako's wince. "One of your men… lost it, kind of. Don't worry, he won't be needing it anymore."

"What did you do to him?!" Miyako demanded.

"Nothing permanent." I said, trying to sound offended at the implication. "A couple of aspirin and a good night's sleep should cure him." Checking around, I noticed that most of the noises around me had faded. _They've probably staged an ambush for me by now…_

"It was nice talking to you…" I said conversationally to Miyako. "But it's getting late. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll see you around!" With that, I severed the connection.

"What was that all about?" Fin whispered as I silently crept towards the door leading to the next room.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." I grinned. "I need to rile her up a bit so she'll see it as a personal challenge. Also, she's always yanking my chain, so I figured turnabout is fair-play…" The grin turned slightly devious.

The angel only rolled her eyes in response. "Lets focus on the guys on the other side of this door. They've set an ambush for us."

I winced as I triggered another spotlight trap. "They're probably keeping track of when these things are set off. This calls for another special tool…"

I held out the Petit Claire and concentrated on what I wanted. A sharp edge rose out of the crystal, revealing itself to be part of a four-sided throwing star. It consisted of a strange material that I couldn't fathom; the amber surface gleamed with a metallic sheen, but at the same time, I could see the floor through the semi-transparent object. I was a bit surprised, as I hadn't actually put that much thought into the design. _Seems this handy little thing takes it upon itself to provide me with a material I can work with!_

"What is this?" Fin asked curiously. I plucked the star out of the Petit Claire and held it up so Fin could get a closer look. "This, my friend, is for disabling the electrical devices of the silly humans." With a sharp hand movement, I threw it hard at the lower part of the nearest bust. It hit the plaque on its front, penetrating the metal until only half of it was sticking out. There was a crackling noise as lightning erupted all over the statue's surface, frying the circuits of the sensors hidden within. Grinning, I repeated the process with the three other sculptures that were still in my path. Only when the sparks had stopped flying I approached the door. By now I was starting to feel a slight exhaustion well up inside me; apparently the use of these abilities took their toll on my physical strength as well. I wouldn't be able to repeat this too often.

Fin was examining one of the small nicks the stars had left, but if she was looking for leftover material, she was going to be disappointed. "I'm not going to leave around evidence for the police to analyze, and since I can't be sure I'm going to have enough time for another tour through the house to pick up all my stuff, I'd rather not leave any in the first place."

"Makes sense to me…" Fin said as I inched closer towards the door, hoping that they didn't hear us talking. Unfortunately it would open outward in my direction, so I wouldn't be able to slam it into the face of whoever was waiting on the other side. Steeling myself, I whispered: "Ready?" Fin nodded and I stood back, yanking the door open in one swift move.

Having expected an ambush, I wasn't very surprised when I was immediately assaulted by Fuyuta, another member of the quartet of senior officers. He had very short hair the same color as Natsuda's, a tall forehead, and he was almost constantly wearing sunglasses. With his trademark trenchcoat, he cut an intimidating figure, hiding well the fact that Natsuda actually was the only one of the four who was smaller than him.

Stepping aside, I tripped up his legs and gave him a small push in the back which sent him crashing to the floor. A soft footfall alerted me to the fact that someone else was in the room ahead. Acting on a hunch, I threw myself into a roll before passing the doorway. My instincts proved correct a second later when the police officer's lunge at where my upper body would have been went wide.

I got to my feet again and turned around, quickly assessing the situation. My second attacker I immediately identified as Akita, the last missing member of the seasons. He was wearing his standard beige jacket and trousers and he had dark blond hair that was upturned at either side of his head. His slight build and his facial features gave him an almost feminine appearance, but he was a skilled fighter and also knew his way around the more delicate aspects of police work. At the moment though, he was having balance problems, so I dismissed him for the time being.

The room was dominated by a stairway to my right, which led to the second floor. There were several doors leading to other rooms; one on either side of the one which I came through and which I was now facing, two more up the stairs, leading further into the house in both directions and another one to the right, past the stairway and hidden in the shadow of the platform the stairs went up to. The walls behind me and to the left were littered with windows, indicating I had to be in one of the corners of the house. "Up and through the left door." Fin said, giving me further directions.

It had taken only the fraction of a second to take in my surroundings. Fuyuta was just getting to his feet back in the corridor and Akita was still struggling to regain his footing. Wasting no time, I sped up the stairs and headed through the door Fin had designated, pulling it shut behind me. Thinking quickly, I pulled out the Petit Claire again: "Key to Rewards, come forth!!"

This time, I grabbed the key as soon as its head rose out of the crystal surface, aware that I had only precious few seconds until the two senior officers would reach the door as well. I jammed the key into the hole of the warded lock, waited an agonizing second until it had a proper grip and quickly turned it, locking the door.

All of a sudden, I felt faint and I could hear the pounding of my blood through my ears, but I forced myself to use my power yet another time. A throwing star rose out of the Petit Claire, similar to the ones I used downstairs, though this one was steel blue in color. I stepped back and threw into the lock, which immediately froze over with a large, irregularly shaped lump of ice. "There." I gasped. "That should keep them for a while."

Wheeling around, I started running down the corridor, determined to bring this to an end before I managed to slip up and get myself caught. The corridor was similar to the one on the floor below, but instead of alcoves with statues and busts, there were mostly paintings on the wall here. Again, I was quite sure that the one I was looking for was not among them; it was bound to be guarded in a much more effective way. At one point there was a blinding flash of light, but I didn't stop running. I knew that blind people were able to tell by their hearing when they were about to walk into something solid and I was confident that my improved senses would alert me in time if the flash of light was coupled with a trap.

Fortunately, Miyako didn't seem to have considered me that much of a threat initially. The only thing I heard were a couple of loud thumps from the other end of the corridor, as the two policemen tried to open the door. _Have fun trying!_ I thought, grinning to myself. My progress was unimpeded and a few seconds later, I reached another door. This one would open into the room, so I made sure to use enough force to knock a person on the other side off their feet, but to my disappointment, nobody was in the immediate vicinity of the door.

The room looked like somebody had taken the room where I fought Fuyuta and Akita, created a mirror image of it and pasted the two halves together. The door layout was changed slightly and there were no windows except on the wall to my left, but that was about the full extent of the differences. A large ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, with lots of small but bright light bulbs. There were so many small glass and gold ornaments hanging from it that any supportive framework was completely hidden. In the middle of the staircase stood Miyako, a communication device much like the one I had pilfered from Natsuda in one hand, and a smug grin on her face which slowly faded as she took in my appearance.

"_You_ are Kaitou Jeanne?" She rubbed her eyes and leaned forward to get a better look as I closed the door and moved towards the middle of the room, trying to hide my fatigue. "God, you're still a kid, barely…" she muttered incredulously.

"Look who's talking." I snorted, slightly miffed by her casual dismissal. "You want to be a police officer? You're still a kid yourself."

Miyako scowled. "It's skill that counts in this business, not age."

I grinned. "Fortunately for me, I'm a skilled thief."

Now it was Miyako's turn to snort. "Are you? I don't see you carrying any loot."

I smiled indulgently. "Really? When did you last check everything is still there??"

Miyako didn't seem to have considered that possibility. Unsure, she glanced up at a door on the third floor platform to her right, but she quickly caught herself and trained her eyes at me again. Fin whispered into my ear, quickly confirming that this was the door I wanted.

"Thanks." I said. "Now I know where the painting is."

"It doesn't matter. You'll never reach it." Miyako said, her expression turning serious. She pressed a button on her comm device. Almost instantly, doors on either side of the room and on top of the stairs opened and policemen stormed out. Raising her voice, Miyako continued: "Kaitou Jeanne, you are hereby arrested for housebreaking and attempted larceny! Surrender now or we will take you by force!!!" Before I was able to react, a small force of policemen already had me surrounded. The exits on this floor were blocked and the policemen who had emerged on the upper floor were moving behind Miyako, blocking off the stairs. I couldn't help but be amazed at the quick efficiency with which all this happened. Even having been Miyako's friend for so long, I'd never imagined her influence and control within the police to run this deep.

"_Jeanne! Stop daydreaming!_" Fin whispered urgently next to my ear. "_You have to get out of here!_"

I shook myself; Fin was right. But I had no idea _how_ to get out of here. The policemen were slowly drawing closer, trapping me in their circle, and as I watched, the door opposite to the one I came through opened and Haruta entered the room. I knew I would have to use the Petit Claire to escape this, but the last time had brought me close to the limit already and if I overdid it, I would collapse from the strain right afterwards. _Keep it simple…_ I thought, remembering Fin's words from earlier. _But what would be simple enough to keep me going and still get me out of here? I can't just blow my way free, that would knock me out on the spot. Smoke wouldn't be very useful, surrounded as I am… _I looked up towards the upper floor, to the door that would lead to my target. _Something to get me up there…_

"Give up, Jeanne!" Miyako called out. Haruta was drawing closer in the meantime, wielding a pair of handcuffs. _Damn, I can't afford to be arrested now! Next morning, Miyako will notice I'm missing and then I'll be screwed!! I have to do something!!!_

Panicking, I held out the Petit Claire in front of me. "No?" Miyako asked, an eager gleam in her eyes. "Too bad for you. I get to use this then!" She held out the communication device, and only now I noticed that it was a different model: Mine didn't have that large antenna sticking out at the top. "Miyako Special Part One!" she announced, before depressing two of the buttons.

A clanking noise above my head made me look up – and freeze in horror. I was standing right below the giant chandelier – and it was falling down, right on top of me!! At the same time, the policemen charged forward as one.

I reacted quickly and instinctively: I jumped high into the air and onto the head of one of the approaching policemen. Using the unfortunate chap as a stepping stone, I leaped even higher, right over the incoming chandelier and at the chain to which it was attached, which I grabbed with my left hand. To my great relief, it had already stopped moving at that point; the chandelier was now hovering at chest height, swinging around slightly. The policemen who had charged at me had all thrown themselves at the floor to avoid being crushed by several hundred pounds of glass and gilded metal. The look on Miyako's face was priceless, though. I suppose she had expected me to be dragged down to the floor by her police force, or even an off-chance of me being hit by the chandelier (although I desperately hoped that she wasn't that vindictive, even towards criminals), but this clearly hadn't been on her list of possible results.

However, I was literally shaken out of my reverie when the chain started moving again; the chandelier was being reeled in, back to its original position. I decided I didn't really fancy finding out whether Miyako would give me a free ride back down to the second floor, so I again started thinking up possible ways to get out of this mess. My gaze went up to the hole in the ceiling where the links of the chain disappeared, one by one, all the while clanking loudly. _Hmm… a retractable chain is a good start… too noisy though… Ha! I got it!_

"Rebound Ball, come out!" I whispered, holding up the Petit Claire closely to my body, hoping it wouldn't be blatantly obvious my new toy appeared literally out of nowhere. A shimmering blob of gooey substance rose out of the Petit Claire's crystal, quickly forming itself into a soft cream-colored ball. Once complete, a thin cord shifted into being, connecting the ball with the bracelet on my right wrist. The rope disappeared into a hole on the upper rim of the bracelet which hadn't been there before. Only when it was securely connected to my wrist, the ball came loose from the crystal. Awkwardly, I switched the Petit Claire to the left hand which was still holding onto the ascending chain, bearing my whole weight. Miyako was looking smug again; apparently she thought I would have to let go when the amount of chain became to small for me to hang on to, allowing her police officers to catch me. I noted with satisfaction that there was still no trace of Fuyuta and Akita; obviously, the jammed lock had literally stopped them cold. I couldn't help but grin at the thought.

I willed the rope to shorten itself a bit, so the ball sat snugly in my hand, before I flung it at the wall section above my designated door. When it hit the wall, the ball lost its form, becoming a sticky mass which stayed firmly attached to the wall. It was still connected to me through the thin cord, which had lengthened to accommodate the growing distance without influencing the ball's course in the slightest. I grinned at my stroke of genius; this tool would rapidly become one of my favorites. A yank of my wrist caused the rope to be reeled in at top speed, pulling me across the room. When I reached safe terrain, I willed the ball to come loose, letting me fall down in front of the door. The ball resumed its original shape and was pulled back into my hand just as I landed gracefully on my feet.

Some of the more level-headed officers were already dashing up the stairs in pursuit of me, but I still took the time to shout a cheeky "Adieu!!" to Miyako before I opened the door and disappeared into the room behind it.

"Phew, that was close." I muttered to Fin, who nodded emphatically, but I had no time to waste. The whole troop of policemen was still after me.

I didn't bother trying to jam the the door by freezing the lock again, as I doubted I had enough time to afford waiting for the key portion of my improvised locking technique. Instead I took what was left of my power and shaped it into a simple wedge of extremely ordinary wood. I decided that in this one instance, it was acceptable to leave evidence behind, but I was especially careful to emphasize the lack of any special feature I wanted in it during its creation. When placing it under the door, I was highly thankful that my outfit came with gloves that would prevent me from leaving any fingerprints, while still leaving me with full mobility and sensibility. I gave the wedge a solid kick to jam the door properly, then ran off into the opposite direction. _This should give me enough time to find my target and make off before I exhaust myself beyond recovery._ _Still, it took far less out of me to create something so thoroughly mundane…_ I thought to myself as I sped along the corridor, Fin trailing after me. A couple of seconds later, I had traversed its length and reached another door, which I entered without hesitation.

I had obviously reached another corner room of the building, this one being located directly opposite to the one where I'd had my scuffle with Fuyuta and Akita; in retrospect, the brief altercation could hardly be called a fight. This room's primary purpose wasn't to be a connection to other rooms however; here, it seemed, Mr. Okaniwa stored his most prized pieces of art, to be looked at whenever he so desired. The walls were lined with paintings which hung so close together just as not to be spoiling the overall effect. But that wasn't all; there were busts and statues as well as marble and clay figurines of various sizes, even an enormous vase in one corner that went up to my chest and had an intricate pattern painted around its outer surface.

_Miyako might still have an ace up her sleeve… _I thought, looking around the dark room._ I better keep my hands free for this…_ With a single thought, I caused the Rebound Ball to shrink down to marble size and retract until it was sitting atop the hole in my bracelet. I also decided I wouldn't need the police comm device anymore and placed it on one of the tables. _Wouldn't do to have Miyako find this in my flat one of these days…_

Remembering what Fin had told me about detecting demons, I lifted up the Petit Claire, which was blinking with a slow pulse. When I changed angle and direction, the pulsing quickened or slowed according to the proximity of the demon. Holding it out in front of me like a radar, I quickly identified the the target as the large picture that was centered on the opposing wall. Stepping up to it, I spared a second to take a closer look. Maybe I could learn something about art while I was at it.

The angle of view was from the floor of a coliseum. The ranks were filled to the last space, and even though the individual people were little more than colored blobs, they conveyed an atmosphere of bloodthirsty excitement. Only one of the two combatants was human, a young man wearing a red vest and red gloves and boots which had white, fluffy fur around the edges. His face had a very youthful look and I guessed him to be significantly younger than Chiaki from this morning. He was wielding a large, two-handed sword which looked worn and was held in a ready position.

His opponent was a beast-like monstrosity whose head remotely resembled that of a tiger, but that was where the similarities ended. It was standing on its hind legs, its posture hunched over, but nonetheless predatory. Its massive body was bulging with muscles, covered with darkish yellow fur and around its neck and front paws were enormous steel shackles. A few chain links were still attached to the one around its left forelimb which, like the other three limbs, featured wicked-looking claws.

The two opponents were sizing each other up; the fight had not yet begun. The beast had a cunning look in his eyes and watched the gladiator carefully, waiting for him to make the first move. The youth had a determined look on his face and was likewise wholly focused on his opponent. Suddenly there was a flashing motion near where the boy's hands were gripping the sword hilt. Looking closer, I realized the boy was holding a card between the ring finger and little finger of his right hand! The card was yellow and the S-shaped wind wave symbol on it took up the full space on it. As I watched, he flashed me a confident grin and shifted his fingers so the card was flipped back to its original position, displaying the same sign.

I vigorously shook my head, rubbing my eyes. _I must have imagined that. Probably too much excitement in one day… I guess it was just a reflection on the glass cover._

Fin flew up to my side, but before she could ask what was wrong, I lifted up the Petit Claire, which was still blinking steadily. "All right, so how do I go about sealing this thing?" I asked, fighting off an exhausted yawn.

"Just imagine something to draw out the evil and contain it…" Fin said, trying to keep her distance from the picture. She was obviously uncomfortable being so close to it. "It is important that you capture it, not destroy it outright. It was created of spiritual energy by Maou-sama, energy that we want to harvest."

"All right." I said, focusing my power and hoping I would still be able to move after this. _I don't want to break the glass, so I had best pierce through it…_

Suddenly, the rose-colored crystal was starting to blink faster, the frequency increasing slowly but steadily. _What the heck?! I'm already as close to that demon as I'm going to get! Unless…_

I dropped to the floor without warning, just in time to avoid the blow which was aimed at my head. Leaning on my arm for leverage, I aimed a sweeping kick at the legs of my assailant, hoping to knock his feet out from under him and throw him off balance. Unfortunately it didn't work nearly as well as against Fuyuta and I was thrown across the room by the force of his follow up kick. Reaching out with my arms as I hit the floor, I pushed myself off and flipped back into a standing position, facing my assailant.

The middle-aged man was obviously the owner of the many artifacts in the room. However, it was clear he was acting under some sort of influence. Dark rings were under his eyes which glinted with malicious intent and his slightly opened mouth revealed enlarged canines, giving him a vampiric kind of look. His arms were outstretched and the nails on his fingers had grown into pointed claws. My chest hurt where his kick had connected; even though the angle had been very unfavorable, there had been surprising force behind it. My ribs were still intact, but I knew I'd have an ugly bruise there next morning. _I have to be careful…_ I reprimanded myself. _Possessed like this, he's far more dangerous than any police officer! This guy is not going to take prisoners…_

"Fin!" The Jun-Tenshi was following me across the room, eager to put some space between her and the malevolent energy radiating off the demon's victim which was slowly shambling in our direction. "If I seal the painting, I get rid of this guy, too?" Fin nodded and I pressed on: "Can you distract him while I do this?"

The little angel hesitated for a moment, then nodded decisively. An opaque sphere of brilliant green energy sprang to life around her and she went straight at the enemy, slamming into his forehead. I raised the Petit Claire and concentrated. _Let's hope he's not able to resist this… I better go all out this time!_

"In the name of God…" I started to chant. A pillar of white light burst forth from the crystal, quickly widening as a gleaming white pin rose out of its middle.

The enemy had staggered back a couple of steps from Fin's blow and was now following her movement with his head as she circled around him. Safely out of reach, she dropped the barrier to taunt her foe. He took a step in her direction and she immediately wreathed herself in green light again, but then he seemed to think better of it. Suddenly the air in front of his head seemed to ripple. The distortion slammed into Fin's shield and knocked her into the wall on the other side of the room. The shield flickered and died, revealing a dazed Fin who was slowly sinking towards the ground.

"You, a demon born in darkness…" I gripped the pin between my index and middle fingers and brought it up to face level. "I seal you here!!" The possessed man was advancing on Fin, but it was too late; the demon's time was up. "**CHECKMATE!!!**" I yelled and flung the pin at the painting.

A moment after the pin embedded itself into the picture, dark energy burst forth from within the frame, circling around the picture and the spot where the pin had pierced it. The possessed man fell to his knees and raised his arms to his head as if in agony. The scream he emitted wasn't human; it was a foul epithet voicing the creature's rage at being denied its unholy existence. Suddenly, I felt a pressure on my mind, but I instinctively recognized the attack for what it was and concentrated my willpower. Strangely enough, I was able to ward off the demon's last struggling endeavor with little effort. The coils of dark power streamed into the pin, which turned into a significantly larger shape as the picture vanished and Mr. Okaniwa collapsed onto the floor.

Fin shakily picked herself up from the floor and flew over to me while I picked up the object which had clattered on the floor. It was a chess piece, a white pawn. Its surface was perfectly smooth and the material was cool to the touch and rather heavy, giving it a marble or glass-like quality. "Good job!" Fin said, smiling as she looked at my prize. "You did it! Now you only have to get out of here!"

Throwing a regretful glance at the empty frame, I took the couple of steps to the far end of the room, to the right of where I entered. As I passed Mr. Okaniwa's unmoving form, I enquired regarding his health.

"Don't worry, he should wake up soon." Fin said, motioning for me to keep going. "Probably won't remember a thing of what happened. He'll be too confused to even be upset about losing that painting."

I had opened a window overlooking the front part of the garden and was just about to take a deep breath of the fresh night air when I heard the door opening. I whirled around to see Miyako, Haruta and four regular police officers entering the room. They immediately fanned out to block off the door as a possible escape route. Miyako's eyes widened as she saw me standing next to the opened window, about to step through. Smirking at the direction her thoughts were taking, I gave a wave to the assembled law enforcers and dived headfirst through the open window.

The nightly breeze that suddenly surrounded me was intoxicating and for a seemingly endless second I enjoyed the sensation of falling freely. At last, I curled up into a ball, speeding up my rotation and bringing my feet below me before I landed. The impact pressed me down nearly to my knees, but somehow, my feet managed to absorb the whole force of the fall without pain or injury. _My effective weight must be somehow affected by this transformation…_ I mused. Glancing back over my shoulder, I could see the incredulous look on Miyako's face as she was looking out through the window.

I quickly made my way through the garden and jumped as I neared the wall that lined the border of the property. My jump was more powerful than I had expected and it carried me well over the glinting metal spikes protruding from the stone. I resumed running as soon as my feet hit the ground again and quickly crossed the street. Using a wooden fence and the horizontal metal pole of a store's street sign as stepping stones, I moved up to the rooftops – up here, it would be close to impossible to follow me with cars and I could easily outrun any human. However it seemed that there was no provision in Miyako's plan tonight for the possibility that I made it out of the house after completing my objective. "Tonight, I've stolen this deceptive beauty!" I proclaimed into the night, throwing the pawn into the air and catching it again. Then, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I left the area behind me.

After I had put some good distance between me and Miyako (who was undoubtedly infuriated), I changed direction towards my home apartment and allowed myself to shrug off the tenseness of the past minutes. The fresh air of the night had a soothing quality and the onsetting headache that had resulted from using my powers that often was already fading away. At a more leisurely pace, I made my way back to where Miyako and I lived.

When I was only a block away, I dropped down into a narrow alleyway. After checking that no one was around, I turned to Fin who was floating down to follow me. "Okay, I want to be Kusakabe Maron again. What do I have to do?"

"Just undo the ribbon in your hair." Fin responded. "That will turn you back."

Following her advice I reached behind me. The ribbon was surprisingly easy to remove, I all but had to pull it out of my hair. I felt a brief glowing sensation wash over my body, then I realized I was gripping thin air. When I looked at Fin, the little angel nodded at my unspoken question. Walking out of the alley, I felt the familiar weight of my hair on my back.

When entering the building, I made sure that Miyako or her parents were nowhere in sight. Quickly crossing the hall, I decided to use the stairs instead of the elevator this time. _If the doors open and I find myself face to face with Miyako, this jig is up. Maybe not right away, but she'll remember it if she starts noticing other strange things later… I can't afford to let her parents see me either…_

Now that I was back to my old self, I could feel the exertions of the evening last much more heavily on my body. My chest was aching where the possessed man's kick had hit me, and that headache was back with a vengeance. As I slowly trudged up the stairs to the seventh floor, I became acutely aware of the exhaustion in my legs. Even after the most demanding gymnastics training session, I hadn't felt this knackered. Still, I couldn't afford to let my caution slip just yet.

Peering around the corner, I saw that the hallway was empty. Hurriedly I left my cover and crept over to my door, keeping as large a distance from the open middle part as possible. _Normally I wouldn't even pay attention to details like this… I guess Jeanne's still present somewhere in there…_

"Why are you still sneaking around?" Fin asked as I fumbled with the keys. "I thought you live here…"

"You know I can't be seen returning here after Jeanne made her escape." I hissed as I unlocked the door and ushered the angel inside. "It shouldn't be hard to hide from Miyako the fact that I'm never around when Jeanne makes an appearance, as she won't be around either. But if her father sees me coming home this late on a night like this, he'll put two and two together and know what's happening! Her mother might not get suspicious, but if she tells them, I'm in for it anyway!" Having removed my boots, I put the key onto the dresser and made my way into the bedroom.

"Are you sure that Miyako will stay involved in this?" Fin wanted to know. "Even if she wants to go after you, there are other criminals, and besides, she's still a schoolgirl."

I laughed. "Trust me, I know her. For her, it's a personal challenge, especially after the way I taunted her tonight. She'll do anything to stay involved. She's not going to rest until she catches me – at least that's what she'll continue to tell herself…" I winked, then I grew serious. "This will be a better arrangement than the risk of her popping by while I'm not here and getting suspicious. Though I have to admit she's a tough opponent." I shook my head. "Damn, I knew she was clever, but I never thought she'd have that much pull with the police! I expected her to have a bunch of normal officers, ten or twelve at most! But in the hall, that ought to have been at least two dozen!!" I sighed as I removed my clothes. The Petit Claire, the pawn and the rosary, which had somehow ended up in my skirt pocket again, I put on the bedside table.

"And her still being a schoolgirl doesn't change anything." I added as an afterthought. "You didn't miss our little chat right before she dropped the chandelier on me, did you?" Fin wisely remained silent.

"Grrr… I still can't believe she did that, trying to kill me like that…" I seethed as I slipped into my nightdress. "Never knew she had that kind of vicious streak…"

"You don't really think she tried to kill you, do you?" Fin asked skeptically and I scowled, nearly slamming a door in her face as I went to the bathroom. "Nah, I'm sure she would call it a calculated risk…" I said ironically. A couple of minutes passed in silence while I brushed my teeth.

"You know, I should read up on police law." I said thoughtfully as I walked back to the bedroom, all the while yawning widely. "I'd like to know where it says she's allowed to do that. Even criminals ought to have rights, don't they?"

"I don't know…" Fin said, avoiding my gaze. "That sounds like one of those weird human concepts… I think I'll take you upstairs some time and show you _our_ version of justice!"

I threw her a shocked look and she burst into laughter. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed between giggles. "Hey, I told you how I got this mission, didn't I? Besides, we really aren't allowed to 'take people upstairs'…"

Relaxing again, I let out a deep breath. "Whew… I think you just scared several years off my afterlife!"

"No big deal then." Fin grinned. "You've still got an infinite amount of years left!"

"What if they were important years?" I pouted, but Fin only laughed. "With that type of logic, you'll get nothing but strange looks, even up there!"

"Hey Fin." I said, holding up the white pawn. "What do I do with this?"

Fin quickly grew serious again. "You can store it in the Petit Claire. Put it on top of it."

Following her advice, I placed the chess piece on the crystal. As soon as it touched the surface, white light burst forth from it, quickly narrowing into a pillar around the piece which receded into the crystal until it was gone and the glow disappeared. Pressing it to my eye, I could see a sparkling dot of light fall down into its depths.

"Where am I going to sleep?" Fin asked when I had placed the item back on the bedside table. The little angel covered a yawn with her tiny hand and I realized she was tired as well. "Good question." I said, rummaging around in one of the closets. "I thought you'd stand watch or something, like a good guardian angel…"

"Uh-uh!" Fin shook her head, grinning. "I'm honored, but right now I prefer a good night's sleep. Besides, I'd make a poor guardian angel in this size…"

"Ah, here it is." I said, removing the object I found and putting it on the floor beside me. It was a turquoise carrying case with a handle to carry it around and a clasp to open it on the front face. The outside corners were reinforced with brass edges. Digging further into the closet, I retrieved a padding of sponge and several handkerchiefs. "This should do as a bed for now." I said, placing the padding inside the box and putting the pieces of cloth on top of it as blankets. "Your 'mattress' is a bit too small, but it should work for tonight."

"This will do fine." Fin said, diving into the box and burying herself under the covers. "I think I'll grow it to fit into the corners tomorrow…" Her eyes were closed and she looked like she was already well on the way into the land of dreams. Grinning at all the cuteness, I placed the case next to my bed and crawled under my own blankets. Closing my eyes, I muttered a quick goodnight to Fin, but a sleepy moan was all I got in return before my consciousness faded away into a blissful stupor.

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Like the chapter? Tell me what you think in a review!

**Akita:** When I was watching the series, I always thought it was a 'her' because of the facial features and tone of voice, but I was assured by a fellow author that Akita is indeed male. I've looked around for evidence, but even though his voice sounds very feminine and his features could just as easily belong to a woman, I've never seen him show a hint of chest. (Except in that crossdressing episode, but that doesn't count for obvious reasons.) He must be one of those bishounen types. I would have liked one of the four senior officers to be female, but I'm bowing to the overwhelming evidence.

**Fin's barrier:** We know that Maron has God's protective barrier around her, but we also see Fin and Access use those shields of light all the time. In episode 5, Access uses this to ram Miyako's father, knocking him to the ground. I thought this could be expanded on, so I turned that light screen into a protective measure the angels possess. It will enable Fin to help out more in actual fights, though the effects of being near a demon still bother her when she uses it.

**Stolen objects:** The series shows us that Jeanne is far from picky about the things that get stolen! I plan to reuse things she steals in the show in certain cases, after all, this AU follows the same timeline as canon, but I'll skip some of those I didn't like, and I'll have many many extra demons to seal, so if you want something stolen, send in your suggestion! ;)

Next chapter, things really start to heat up for Maron as she has to deal with vocabulary tests, perverts, bicycle accidents and multiple transformations! Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 04

Hello guys! It's been ages, hasn't it? As you can see, I'm still alive, and I'm back with one humdinger of a chapter, nearly as long as the entire story so far! Happy reading!

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**Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne  
**Theft of Heart

Chapter 4 - Fangirls

(Maron)

It was a loud knocking noise that tore me from my dreams the next morning. I turned around and buried my head deeper into the pillow, my sleep-filled brain wondering where I was, and why. "Maron!!" came Miyako's voice from outside, piercing through the haze in my thoughts. "Get up already!!! I _really_ can't afford to be late today!!" Her demands were accentuated by more knocks.

Blearily, I lifted my head and opened my eyes, risking a glance at the alarm clock. The timepiece was actually set to wake me in the morning, but long years of practice allowed me to sleep past its alarm signal nearly every time. In my current state, I didn't even have to try hard; I could still feel the exhaustion of yesterday in every bone.

The time displayed on the clock shocked me into action, however. With a yelled confirmation to appease Miyako, I quickly jumped out of the bed and threw on the clothes that were haphazardly strewn across the floor. The noise, combined with a shout of "Hurry up!!" from Miyako finally roused Fin, who had apparently slept through the initial barrage. "What's wrong, Maron?" the angel asked, poking her head out of the box while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"No time." I grunted, checking the closet mirror to ensure I looked halfway presentable. "Mrs. P scheduled a vocabulary test for today and even I can't afford to be late for that…" I hoisted my schoolbag on my back and picked up the box, making Fin shoot out of it with a startled squeak. Ignoring her protest, I quickly tossed the Petit Claire and rosary inside, together with a few other supplies, and ran into the kitchen, taking an emergency breakfast out of the fridge. A quick glance at the alarm clock told me I could afford another minute or two if we took the shortcut, so I filled two large cups with milk and put a thin straw in one. "Drink as much as you want," I said to Fin, "then we have to go."

I wasted no time gulping down the contents of my mug, putting the milk back into the fridge with the other hand. When I turned around again, Fin's cup was empty as well and she stood next to it, looking a lot more awake, but otherwise still the same. I boggled at the implication for a second, before I shook myself. _I can think about that later. Need to survive this morning first._

"And you're sure Miyako or anyone else won't be able to see you?!" I asked as I slipped into my shoes. Fin nodded. "If Miyako could see me, she would already have during the recovery yesterday. As for other people, there can be… exceptions. A person who is possessed by a demon can see me and even sense my presence, if the demon is powerful enough. Normal people can't see me, but those who hold no prejudice against our existence in their heart might hear or even see an angel. There are very few adult people like that, though."

"All right, let's go then. But when there are many people around, I want you to hide!" Shoving the last bits of breakfast into my mouth, I made my way to the door and pulled it open, revealing Miyako who was just raising her hand to knock again. She looked a little worn out herself, but she was still dressed immaculately. The annoyed look on her face immediately faded to a regular frown.

"What took you so long to answer?" she asked, before looking over my appearance. The little angel floating above my right shoulder completely escaped her notice. "Hmm? You're ready to go already?" Her expression shifted to one that looked vaguely impressed. "That was pretty quick. What's the rush?"

"No time…" I said, grabbing my friend's arm and dragging her to the elevator. "We're going to be late for the test!"

Miyako laughed, taking me by surprise. "Don't worry, I decided to wake you early today! Since you're ready to go already, we've got more than enough time."

I looked at Miyako distrustfully. According to my alarm clock, we still had to hurry if we wanted to reach the classroom in time. Grabbing Miyako's arm, I checked the time on her wristwatch - and gasped. "Someone messed with my alarm clock!!" I exclaimed, shocked. My eyes immediately narrowed on Miyako. "You didn't borrow the key to my apartment, did you?!" As I was living in the apartment all by myself, Miyako's parents had a key to the door so someone could get in in case of an emergency. I hadn't expected it to be abused in this manner, though…

But Miyako shook her head as we left the building, the automated doors opening as we approached. "I already thought of doing that months ago. They wouldn't let me, though…" she admitted, grumbling.

I frowned. That left only one possibility as to who was the culprit. I leveled an accusing glare at Fin, who backed away, grinning nervously. Muttering something about 'demon hunting', she quickly wheeled around and flew off into the sky. I suppressed a growl, resolving to have a talk with her after school.

"So who was it then?" asked Miyako curiously.

"… … …it must have been myself." I forced out through clenched teeth.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Oh Maron, that's so typical of you. But you should be glad; I really can't afford to be late today. If I end up in detention because of you, I'm going to take it out on you! I swear, this all your fault, Kaitou Jeanne!!!"

"What?!" I blurted, wheeling around. Miyako had struck some kind of pose, her fist leveled at an unseen opponent, her eyes staring off into the distance. At my exclamation, she recovered, continuing to walk beside me. I breathed a short sigh of relief; for a moment I thought my cover was blown already.

"Kaitou Jeanne was there, and she stole the painting and got away with it!!" Miyako continued to fume.

"Oh, really?" I asked weakly, trying to come up with something more intelligent to say.

"By jumping out of the window from the third floor no less!" Miyako grumbled, grudging respect evident in her voice. "And she was still able to jump over the eight feet high property wall like it was nothing!"

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?!" I asked, scrunching up my face into an expression of what I hoped was proper skepticism.

"I wish I was." she muttered. "Before I could even think about mounting a chase, she jumped to the rooftops and took off, like she was some frickin' magical girl!!"

I felt a large sweatdrop build up on the side of my face, but Miyako wasn't done yet. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she has to have strange elemental powers or something." She shook her head. "A bunch of our sensors had their circuits fried so badly the electricity must have been just short of a lightning strike."

I gave a minute wince of sympathy, but squashed it ruthlessly when I thought of the chandelier. _If that's the kind of stuff they deploy as special traps, then their budget can afford to replace a few measly infrared sensors!_

"Even more weirdly, she not only locked one of the doors, but somehow encased the lock in a solid block of ice!" She frowned. "That one really puzzles me. It's really easy to burn something or blow things up, and you don't even have to carry a lot of stuff around to do it. But I can't even begin to speculate what kind of technology would be needed to do _that!_ Akita said it radiated a chill so strong he didn't dare touch it, and it didn't shatter like normal ice either. They broke down the door eventually, but the lock and the surrounding material was still sticking to the wall when we left."

I resisted the urge to forcefully smack my forehead. _Baka! Way to be inconspicuous!_ I admonished myself. _Why don't you go and put an ad in the paper flaunting your shiny new powers so people get even more suspicious?! Who knows, it might even save them the trouble of figuring out for themselves that normal people can't do this stuff!_

"I don't even know where she put the painting!" Miyako continued. "She wasn't carrying it when she fled and it was too big to put under that flimsy costume of hers, but she didn't leave it, either. We did a full property search, but it didn't turn up again. I got to bed pretty late last night."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." I said, thinking about how much later than me she must have gotten home, having to pack up all that police equipment and stuff.

"You're sorry?" Miyako blinked and I realized what I had just said. "Maron, are you feeling well? I mean, you hardly ever apologize to me, and this isn't even your fault!"

"Well, you got to bed so late already…" I said, flailing and blushing with embarrassment, but thankful my mind tended to work quickly in situations like this. Or at least I liked to think so… "…and then you get up early so I won't be late for school, and…"

I trailed off as Miyako put her hand on my forehead, checking the temperature. "You don't look too good, Maron. Maybe you should forget about the test and go visit the infirmary."

I blinked. _Miyako suggesting I skive off a test?! That has to be a sign of the apocalypse!_ I looked up at the sky, but the sun wasn't darkening, there was no giant meteor entering orbit, and it hadn't started raining blood yet. I looked off into the distance, but there weren't any horsemen around either. _Must have been a fluke._

"Tempting idea, but Ms. P would make me retake it, and just for me, she would make it even more difficult."

"Well, you can't fault her for trying to make the flowers of knowledge bloom in the barren desert that is your mind, can you?"

"Oh shut up." I said good naturedly. We walked in silence for a while, and I used the time to order my thoughts. Discussing Jeanne with Miyako was kind of fun, but for obvious reasons, I wouldn't be able to keep getting away with blatantly turning the topic of conversation around to my alter ego. At least once events like those of last night became normalcy. But for now, everything about Jeanne was still new and thus she was fair game as a conversation topic.

"So, uh… this Kaitou Jeanne really gave you some trouble, huh?"

"Yeah…" Miyako grumbled.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "You always complained that they didn't make bad guys like they used to. Now you finally found a worthy opponent. Aren't you happy?"

"Happy? I won't be happy until I capture Jeanne and make her face the rightful consequences of opposing all that is good and just!"  
I shuddered, both at the corniness of her speech and at the consequences should she actually achieve her goal. However, Miyako still had more to say.

"You see, they are supposed to give me a challenge and then let themselves be caught. But unlike any other proper criminal, Jeanne taunts me and then gets away!" Miyako glowered while I amusedly shook my head at her twisted world view. Suddenly, though, her expression brightened and she reached into her pocket. "But it doesn't matter that she got away. Because I've got her picture!"

I stared in disbelief at the photograph Miyako held out to me. It was a frontal shot of Jeanne running towards the camera, giving a good view of her face. I quickly realized where this picture had been taken: _This was in the corridor after the room with Akita and Fuyuta! The single flash of light!_ The shock quickly receded when I realized once more how different Jeanne's face looked from mine. "At least it's a good shot…" I muttered.

"Hm? What did you say?" Miyako wanted to know. I started to sweat lightly, but Miyako answered her own question, taking the picture back from my fingers. "Yeah, it's a pretty good shot. We can actually use this to try and find her. That's why I don't have time to stay at school longer than necessary. We have to print more copies of this and maybe use facial recognition software to compare it to other faces from our database…" Miyako paused and narrowed her eyes, looking up from the picture and at me, then back at the picture.

"What? You think I look like Jeanne?!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Don't be ridiculous." Miyako said. She stared intently back and forth between me and the picture, then shook her head. "I thought there was a similiarity at first, but her features are sharper and more angular than yours. You can't change your face like that with anything short of plastic surgery. There's a superficial resemblance, I guess, but that's true for many of the people in this city."

She took a deep breath and pocketed the picture again. "We'll do the database check, but I don't really expect any results from that. Personally, I think the eyes are a much better starting point. I doubt there are many people out there with violet eyes. Thought she was wearing contacts first, but a close-up of the picture showed she wasn't, so I guess it has to be natural." Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in again, giving my face another close scrutiny.

"What?! Do my eyes look purple?!" I used outrage to cover my panic, hoping intently that there were no residues left over from my transformation that could betray my identity. I breathed a sigh of relief - disguised as a huff of annoyance - when she finally looked away. "You really need to take a break from this… Seriously…" I shook my head, muttering under my breath. "Think I'm gonna buy some purple contacts just to freak you out…"

"Maybe." Miyako conceded, ignoring my last statement. "But not until I capture Jeanne!" She frowned. "That Okaniwa fellow who owned the painting said he didn't mind if it didn't turn up again. Said it used to be his favorite picture, but it seemed to creep him out lately…" She growled. "Jeanne hit the poor man so hard that he can't remember what he's been doing for the last twenty four hours! I'm not going to let this travesty of justice stand!"

I had to resist the urge to correct her about hitting the man, but it would mean blowing my cover. Miyako stayed silent for a couple of seconds, then she turned to me. "I'm dropping by at the police station before school. See you in class!" With that, she took off, leaving me to walk to school on my own.

_Damn, this isn't good… I can't remember the last time she's done that, going to the police station before school. _The police station wasn't that far away from our daily route to school, but it was a detour and I had to wonder what could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until after school. _She's not going to take me for granted next time… Oh well._

I shrugged, grinned and turned around, approaching the iron gate which we had just passed. Sticking out my tongue at Miyako's retreating back, I quickly vaulted over it and sprinted to the other side of the property. Memories of yesterday evening surfaced and I couldn't help but feel disappointed that the ease and grace with which I moved as Jeanne didn't carry over to my normal body. Still, even in my normal state I was more than capable of clearing this obstacle and I emerged on the other side without interruption.

Walking on alone, I simply enjoyed the beautiful new day. _I'll deal with whatever Miyako cooks up for me when the time comes. _I watched as a little girl on a bicycle rode down the steep road leading down from the residential area, the green bow in her chestnut brown hair fluttering in the wind. _This girl sure has guts._ I thought, watching her tear down the hill at a pace that made me feel slightly queasy just from watching. When a shrill scream pierced the morning air, I realized it might not be entirely voluntary. My heart jumping in alarm, I took a closer look and this time, I could clearly see the terror on her face. Her right hand tightly gripped the brake handle, but the cable was torn and dangled limply in the air as bicycle and rider continued downhill at ever increasing speed.

With a curse on my lips, I broke into a run, hoping to intercept the bike somewhere along its way, but I saw quickly that I would never reach the intersection in time where her path met mine, not even if I had Jeanne's speed at my disposal. She would pass by on the road a ledge below me, which made a sharp turn at the end that she could not hope to survive at this speed. _I might have a chance to grab her down there, but that drop is pretty deep. As Jeanne, I could do it, but like this? _I stopped, wasting a couple of seconds to look around, but there was no one else around to jump to the rescue.

_Damn it._ I stepped up to railing, fumbling with the latch of Fin's box. When it finally popped open, I snatched the rosary out of it and tossed it aside, then did the same with my pack. _It's not charged. _The thought flashed through my mind._ What if this doesn't work?_

I shook my head._ No. If there's a chance these powers I was given might help me save a life, I will not stand idly by. Fin said there's a God and I'm his envoy, so I survive this, or he better have a good explanation ready when I face him!_

Grabbing the rosary tighter, I jumped. Eyes fixed on the approaching girl, I repeated the short prayer that had initiated my transformation last night: "Jeanne d'Arc… Lend me your strength…!"

This time there was no pink fire to engulf me, but I did feel something _shift –_ and I landed easily after the twenty feet drop, already up and running a split second later. A quick glance showed that there was no other traffic in the area and I couldn't hear anything either except for the noise of the rapidly approaching bike. With relief I noted that I still had several seconds to get into position in the middle of the road and brace myself. Noticing the rosary was still clutched in my right hand, I quickly shoved it into the pocket of my school uniform which I realized I was still wearing.

Fortunately for the girl, she was too scared to even think of changing her course as she closed the remaining distance. Letting the bike pass me by, I slung an arm around her waist and lifted her off the saddle. I struggled to keep my balance as her momentum transferred over to me, but I managed not to let go. The bike continued on by itself until it crashed into the guardrail at the sharp corner further down the road.

I let out a quick sigh of relief and looked at the girl. The impromptu rescue had knocked the wind out of her, but otherwise she was unhurt. She was still deep in shock, though. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she looked up at me, but a surprised look replaced her shock when she took in my face. "Your hair…" she said, grabbing a few brown strands, turning them between her fingers. "It was yellow just now…"

"…it was?" I asked dumbstruck. For a moment, I wondered if maybe the girl just had been to far gone in her panic, but she just nodded, entirely serious. Her expression slowly widened into a grin. "Are you… a hero, or something? A magical girl?"

I reeled back, mind freezing up and a nervous grin etching its way onto my face. _Great. I've been found out by a little kid._ For some reason, I found myself unable to lie to this girl. The look on her face was sincere, and even if I were able to whip up a convincing denial, I knew she was going to be terribly disappointed. Worst of all was that she was essentially _right_. The parallels to certain examples of popular culture and urban legends were there, though this had a slightly different touch of _reality_ to it. _Obviously, _I rolled my eyes at myself, _because it's happening to ME._

Unaware of my personal dilemma, the girl pressed on. "You jumped down from up there, didn't you? No normal person could do that! And you saved me!" She paused to give me an admiring grin. "So are you, or are you not…?"

"How about, er, 'or something'?" I asked weakly.

"SUGOI!" she yelled, throwing herself at me and hugging me. "I've been saved by a real, honest to god magical g–mrmph!" She looked up in surprise when she suddenly found my hand on her mouth, preventing her from speaking. "Shh!" I said. "You can't tell anyone. It's a secret." I smiled conspiratorially and received a delighted grin back. I gently pried her off, inwardly shaking my head in both exasperation and amusement. _I don't believe this. I have a FAN. After being at this for a single day no less. _I grinned._ Fin will be scandalized._

The girl was just about to say something else, but was interrupted by rapidly approaching footsteps. "Hiromi-chan!" A man who looked to be in his late twenties was running towards us. The girl, Hiromi, quickly turned around and with a cry of "Papa!", she ran towards him as well. They met in a fierce embrace and the man's face was stark with relief that his daughter was alive and well. After a moment, he pushed her away to look her over for injuries. "Hiromi-chan, are you all right? You're not hurt?"

She shook her head, pointing at me. "Onee-chan over there saved me!" I moved closer, smiling at being called 'big sister'. The man introduced himself as Miyasaka Kenichi and thanked me profusely for saving his daughter's life.

"Don't mention it. Anybody in my position would have done the same thing." I said, myself grateful that I was able to do so. Seeing the reunion had already made it worthwhile enough.

"I certainly hope so." He said, but he didn't appear fully convinced. While Hiromi was going to pick up the bike, he bent a bit closer. "Looks like you've made an impression on Hiromi-chan. How did you get her calmed down that quickly?"

"I told her a secret." I said with a slightly mischievously smile, and Mr. Miyasaka smiled and nodded in parental understanding. I quickly turned serious again, however. "The brake cable had been torn in two."

His eyes narrowed. "That's strange. The bike is relatively new, and there hadn't been any problems with it two days ago." Hiromi was just returning with the bike, which looked slightly worse for wear. He examined the dangling cable ends; the cable looked to have been ripped apart by great force; pieces of the black covering were missing on both ends._ It could have snagged somewhere during the ride, but the force necessary to tear it apart would have caused her to crash right then and there. If this happened before today, someone ought to have noticed it had been damaged. I don't like how this looks…_

Apparently Mr. Miyasaka didn't, either. He muttered about checking everything over before letting Hiromi use the bike again. Turning to me, he said: "Thank you again, Kusakabe-san. If there's ever something I can do for you to return the favor, just call."

Accepting the card he gave me, I bent down to face Hiromi. "Be careful with the bike in the future!" Moving closer, I whispered into her ear: "And about that other thing – look for me in the newspaper!" The girl grinned and waved, and I waved back as I watched the two walk away, back up the hill. _A magical girl, eh? Heh, that means my love life might soon become a whole lot more interesting… That Chiaki guy was kind of cute… _Slightly distracted I made my way back to the top of the ledge where I left my pack.

* * *

(Miyako)

"Morning, guys!!"

Various policemen looked up as the office door slammed shut behind me. "Good morning, Miyako-san!" came a chorus of voices back. I smiled. _No matter how busy it gets at the Momokuri Police Department, I always get a warm welcome!_

Harukawa, commonly called Haruta, looked up from his monitor with a questioning look on his face. "You've got school this morning, don't you? Did something come up?"

"Not exactly." I said. "I'm just stopping by. I want my eardrums intact for my next confrontation with Jeanne, thank you very much." Knowing grins spread on the faces of my fellow policemen at this comment. "How's the database check coming along?"

Haruta shook his head. "Negative. I'm doing another search with high tolerance variables just to be sure, but I don't think we've seen her before."

"Figures…" I muttered. "But I doubt we've seen the last of her. She will be back, now that she has tasted success." Turning to Akita who was clattering away on his keyboard, I asked: "Akita, what is the world record for high jumping?"

"245 centimetres." Akita said, not even taking his eyes off the screen. "An even eight feet. That's men's record, mind you, women's is quite a bit lower."

"And she broke that so casually…" I muttered, reflecting back on last night. Her jump had carried her well over the obstacle, clearing even the spikes by a wide margin. It had been forceful, but it hadn't looked like Jeanne had really pushed herself to the limit.

The officer turned around on his chair and faced me. "I'm sorry, but if Haruta-san hadn't witnessed it, too, I would be doubting your observations."

I waved the comment away. "I would be doubting my own observations if Haruta hadn't been there. Besides, we're paid to doubt things, are we not?"

"We?" Akita arched a delicate eyebrow.

"Arrgh!! You know what I mean!" I huffed, throwing up my arms. "I KNOW I'm not getting paid for this for two more years, there's no need to rub it in!" Haruta and Fuyuta were watching with growing amusement.

"Anyway," I said, "we all agree that Jeanne's done some pretty strange things, things that can't be easily explained, like that frozen door, or how she knocked out Natsuda before he was able to alert us, or how she concealed the painting when she made her escape. Surviving a fall from the third floor and still being able to jump over the property wall with ease, things like that. It is possible that she has access to superior technology that enables her to do those things; however, all technology has its limits, and _we_ are going to find out what those are. Our traps will be designed specifically to push her past what is humanly possible, and to counter the abilities that we have seen her use. If we get the opportunity, we will try and stea- uh, confiscate any device she's using."

The officers nodded, professionally ignoring my little slip-up, but I lifted my finger. "There's something else I've realized. Jeanne… is a rookie."

"WHAAAT?!" came the reply by a choir of incredulous voices.

"From what I saw of her yesterday, she has no prior experience dealing with the police." I confirmed. "She froze up when she was surrounded in the middle of the hall. She's as green as they come." My expression turned grim. "She's confident, though, and she learns quickly. We'll try and use tried-and-true police tactics to apprehend her, but if we fail, they will quickly cease to be effective. Now's our best chance to catch her. Let's make it count!"

* * *

(Maron)

Running towards the spot where I dropped my pack, I already saw from afar that everything that had been in the little box was scattered all over the place, and there was a figure approaching, sporting the boys' school uniform of Momokuri High and blue hair – Chiaki! Having just as little desire for him to see my lipstick, perfume and other female supplies as for him to see the Petit Claire, I hurried to the spot and quickly scooped everything back into the box as fast as I could.

I had barely put the last item inside and locked it when he was standing in front of me, smiling that same unreadable smile and holding out a hand to help me back up. I took it, briefly wondering if he would spin me around and catch me like last time, and feeling both relieved and disappointed when he just hauled me to my feet.

"You were in the hallway yesterday. I didn't catch your name back then…?"

"Kusakabe Maron." I obliged him. "So, you'll be going to Momokuri High, too?"

"Yeah." he replied easily. "I just moved to this part of the city yesterday."

We continued on our way to school. After a while he abruptly spoke up again: "I still need to visit the headmaster's office, to finalize the transfer and everything, but maybe you can show me around later?"

I gave him a hard stare. _Not wasting any time, is he?_I might have little experience with boys, but I did recognize when one was coming onto me._I also don't like the way he looked at Miyako yesterday, but that could have been just teasing… couldn't it? Damn, he had better not be some kind of pervert!_

A bit of slight amusement crept into his smile, but otherwise I couldn't read anything off his relaxed expression. _Guess there's only one way to find out whether he is my One True Love™ or not…_ "Sure, why not?"

I was immediately reassured when instead of breaking out in a smug or triumphant grin, he just said "Great. Thanks." and kept moving beside me. "By the way, where did you leave your friend?"

"Oh, Miyako went down to the police station before school."

Chiaki shot me a suspicious look. "She's not still after me because of those boxes, is she?"

I laughed. "Nah, though it was a good thing you got rid of them when you did. Actually, her father's the Chief Detective at the local precinct, and she likes to help out from time to time." I didn't mention that she normally didn't make a habit of going there before school because, depending on the level of Jeanne's success in the near future, that might well be about to change.

"Ah, that explains her… zeal."

"Yeah, Miyako gets rather enthusiastic when it comes to defending the law. But she's pretty good at that police work. She's earned a lot of respect with the officers." _A lot more than even I was aware of…_

We continued to chat as we walked on, mostly about inconsequential stuff, but I did learn that he moved to away from his parent's home to experience living on his own, and to gain some distance from his father, with whom he didn't get along so well currently.

When we reached school, I pointed out the different buildings and places that made up the school. "There's not much to show you outside here, actually. This is the main building in front of us. The gym and the playing field are on the other side, in that direction. There's a small pool over there too, but it doesn't see much use."

Chiaki didn't even attempt to look around during my description, instead looking at me the entire time, an amused smile fixed on his face. I didn't know what to make of it, but seeing as he kept his gaze firmly above my neckline, I decided to let it slide. "The headmaster's office is on the second floor." I explained as we entered the building. "Just go right, around the corner and up the stairs, and you're right in front of it."

"All right, thanks! I'll see you later, then!" Chiaki said and went off in the other direction, while I went left and entered our classroom. To my surprise, Miyako was already there, but a look on the wall made me realize that the encounter with Hiromi-chan and her father had eaten quite a bit of time. _She must have hurried back from the police station…_

"Maron! Quick, get to your seat! Sensei is going to be here any minute now!" With a pang of anxiety at seeing the other students' frantic last-minute preparations for the test, I quickly settled down at my desk and got out my own books. _Now the meanings of these words all seem so obvious…_ I thought as my eyes wandered over the vocabulary list in the hope that I would recall at least a few crucial combinations later on. _But later when I can't just check the other column, I know I won't remember the even the most basic words._

It actually took several more minutes for Mrs. P to arrive, but I didn't feel I had made any real progress when the door finally opened and the teacher entered to room, followed by… _Chiaki!_

Miyako seemed to recognize the newcomer as well, immediately jumping up from her chair and bursting out: "You're the guy with the boxes!"

Half of the class facefaulted, and Pakkyamlamao-sensei shot her a look that was half irritation and half 'what are you talking about?'. "Nagoya-kun is a new student." She said, then turned to Chiaki, who was unfazed by Miyako's greeting and introduced himself.

"Take your seat." She said, pointing at the empty desk on the left of mine. Chiaki went to it and, after settling down, immediately started to push it toward mine, breaking with the neat rows the other desks were in. "What are you doing?!" I hissed, glancing at Pakkyamlamao-sensei who was taking out a stack of paper and hadn't noticed it yet. "We're writing a test now! Get back, or do you want her to accuse us of cheating?! She's got a flute, and she's not afraid to use it!!" Chiaki raised an eyebrow at that last bit, but he moved his desk back. His expression remained clueless as his eyes wandered to the instrument clutched in the teacher's off hand. _Oh, that's right, he hasn't known true horror. Looks like it'll be my job to clue him in…_

Finally, the sheets lay before us. _Hm… this doesn't look so difficult after all…_ I thought as I glanced over the list of words. Several of them I recognized immediately, the meaning of the words jumping to my mind immediately. I quickly started filling out the empty spaces. As I moved on, it took less and less time to come up with the proper words. _Maybe I won't totally flunk this one… Huh, I don't remember ever seeing that word before…_ I thought as I filled in the corresponding blank spot on the other side. The next two were surprisingly easy again. _Eh, this can mean two different things… I guess I'll just put them both here…_

Before I knew it, I had reached the bottom of the page. _'Goodbye', huh? Guess she wanted to make the last one an easy one… _However, when I saw the word my hand had already scrawled into the empty spot, my mind froze. I had to resist the paranoid urge to look over my shoulder to where Miyako sat. Praying that little Miss play-by-the-rules didn't choose this exact moment to throw out all her notions of lawful behavior and try to peek, I hastily scratched out the 'adieu' on the paper until it was completely illegible and replaced it with a more innocuous 'au revoir'. Only after I had breathed a silent sigh of relief and chanced a quick glance around the classroom I noticed that I was already done while many of my classmates were still struggling on their half empty pages.

_Crap! This was so easy because Jeanne was born in France!_ Again, I had to resist the urge to check my surroundings. _I'm acting pretty suspicious here… Come on girl, breathe!_ I hunched over the sheet again so that I looked like I was still busy and people sitting behind me wouldn't be able to see what I was doing. _I can't let this become my downfall!_ But I knew that as instinctual as this sudden knowledge was, trying to hide it completely would quickly prove fatal. Already the next cramming session with Miyako would let her in on the this sudden improvement of my language skills and once she started to wonder why I was trying to conceal it, it would be all over.

_It might not draw suspicion if I can pass this off as a development – even if it's a rapid one… _Going over the page again, I quickly added a couple of unnecessary accents and 'fixed' one of the verb forms. _There, now it's just 'pretty good' instead of 'perfect'. _I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of sabotaging my own work, but I knew what was at stake - there was no comparison. _Besides, it's not like this sudden improvement is really my achievement…_

As soon as Pakkyamlamao-sensei had gathered the test sheets, Chiaki pushed his desk towards mine again. "Geez, what's the big idea?" I asked in a hushed voice. The last thing I felt I needed right now was P-sensei's attention, and irregularities like this were exactly the kind of thing she liked to jump on. But Chiaki just grinned. "I haven't gotten the books yet, so I'll need to borrow yours." I groaned and rolled my eyes, but pushed the books towards the middle of the desks where he could reach them.

Throughout the rest of the lesson, I tentatively tried out my newfound knowledge, but I made a point of answering only when I was called upon. The fact that Chiaki provided incessant distractions made it a bit easier not to appear too knowledgeable. I constantly had to fight blushes when our heads bent over the books very close together, or when his fingers accidentally brushed mine when we both reached for materials. The latter happened slightly more often than I considered entirely 'accidental'. Overall, I was just glad it hadn't yet turned me into a nervous stuttering wreck. _Like Minazuki-kun…_ I thought, looking over to the class rep. _Is this how he feels all the time? Surely not… _The brown-haired boy with the large glasses was currently following the lesson avidly, but when talking to people he got easily flustered and few of his classmates took him seriously as a result. I jumped as Chiaki's shoulder touched mine, yanking me out of my reflections.

As soon as the lesson was over, Miyako immediately dragged me off towards a quiet corner. "What do you think you're doing, flirting with Chiaki like that!" She hissed. "Think you can get ahead while I'm busy doing police work?!"

"Get ahead?! What the…" Words failed me as I struggled with the enormity of this statement. "Don't tell me YOU are interested!" I burst out, then quickly look around, confirming we were still unobserved. "Besides, I didn't do anything that could be construed as flirting with him!"

"Oh yeah?" Miyako retorted. "I didn't exactly see you complain about his attentions either!"

"That's because I was doing just fine without P-sensei's attention on me! You know that she likes to jump on me every time there isn't actually someone to deserve her wrath!" Miyako clearly wasn't impressed by this line of reasoning, so I pressed on. "Look, I don't even know if he's the type. After all, he might turn out to be some sort of super pervert! In that case, you're welcome to him!"

"Gee, that's generous of you." Miyako rolled her eyes. "You know, you may have a point with that super pervert comment." She growled, obviously thinking back to the cardboard boxes incident. "If he looks at me like that again, I'll have him detained and punished! And not the fun kind of punishment either!" I winced at the unholy fire I saw burning in her eyes. _Looks like one more crucial safety tip to pass on later for his stay at this asylum they call a school…_

"Actually, I think I'll hang back and observe for now." Miyako went on. "That way, if he turns out to be a total creep, it won't be me suffering the disappointment!" The last was said in a voice that sounded almost sickeningly cheerful.

"Wow, thanks." I groaned. "You're a true friend, Miyako, you know that?"

"Of course!" she said, grinning impudently. "You know, you did fairly well today. You didn't screw up any of P-sensei's questions."

"Hmpf…" I said, affecting a contemptuous sniff. "While you were busy chasing pickpockets, I prepared for today's lesson!" _Which is kind of true, in a roundabout sort of way. Even if I didn't know it would have that effect at the time..._

"Pickpockets?!" Miyako screeched in outrage. "Why, you…"

The next lessons were only slightly less nerve-wracking. I slowly grew more used to Chiaki's presence next to me, and he did ease up a little after a while, but I still had to constantly focus to avoid committing some kind of blunder. I tried hard not to let my nervousness show as I knew Miyako would be watching from the seat behind me, and she'd tease me mercilessly if I let show how strong an effect Chiaki had on me. I found that an effective way to distract myself was to actually pay attention to what the teacher was saying. As exciting as the multitude of small, unexpected contacts was, I wasn't sure how much of it my poor heart could take, and I resolved to make sure he got his books as soon as possible so I could regain some distance, so to speak.

When lunch break came around, I immediately dragged him off towards the school library. When Miyako wanted to know where I was going, I answered: "He's getting the talk." Miyako's face immediately changed to an expression of complete understanding. "All right, I guess that means I'll see you at practice!" To Chiaki, she said: "I'd listen to what she says." She then turned her focus back to quickly gathering her stuff together.

Chiaki clearly was unsure what to make of this. "The talk...?"

"Yeah, now that you're here, there are a few things you should know." I grinned at the perplexed look on his face. "The first rule is: 'Never, ever step on the flowers'."

"The flowers. Uh-huh." Chiaki's face remained blank. "May I ask why?"

"Because Pakkyamlamao-sensei..." I jerked a thumb behind me, pointing at the classroom we had just left, "...is obsessed with flowers. Stepping on one would incur her wrath, which is a Bad Thing. Actually, you should avoid even being _near_ any situation that could be misconstrued as you stepping on flowers or having the intention to do so."

Chiaki seemed skeptical, trying to figure out if this was an elaborate prank that was pulled on all newcomers or not. "It's just a bit of friendly advice." I reassured him. "Trust me, if you ever end up on the receiving end of her flute, you'll understand."

"I noticed she kept that thing clutched in her hand the entire time." he admitted. "What's up with that?"

"It's an instrument of torture." I explained. "You know how they abolished corporal punishment in school and all that? Well, they obviously never heard of Pakkyamlamao-sensei, or they'd have banned aural punishment as well. You'll probably see it in action soon enough, but keep in mind that watching it and actually getting hit by it are two entirely different things." I led him up to the small library that stocked the books for the students, imparting some of the finer points of survival at Momokuri High to him along the way.

"Well, here we are. You can get the school books and materials here. That's all they have here, though. If you want something else, you'll have to go to the Momokuri Library. It's pretty close by, actually, just further down the road."

"Thanks." Chiaki said, perusing a list of the books he needed. "Didn't you say something about practice earlier?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot." I said, slapping my forehead. "Well, I better hurry! See you tomorrow!" Chiaki just grinned and raised a hand in farewell.

I quickly stopped by at the cafeteria to grab a snack and then proceeded to the gym, where I caught up with Miyako. She immediately tried to grill me for information about Chiaki's conduct, but I waved her off, telling her that there was no 'conclusive evidence' to reach a verdict yet. "And what would you consider conclusive evidence?" she asked, passing a ball to me slightly harder than was strictly necessary. "No idea." I answered, grinning cheerfully. "I'll let you know after I find out."

Miyako just 'hmpf'ed and went to gather her own supplies. The first hour of practice passed by normally. As I worked out, I felt the bruise I had received from the possessed Mr. Okaniwa, but it was a slight pain which I could readily ignore.

However suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck rose up and I felt a shiver pass over me. A quick look around immediately told me where the disturbance came from: a face with a distinctive mop of blue hair was peeking past the door frame. I couldn't decipher the look on his face, but it didn't appear to be benign. _Looks like Miyako was right – he is a pervert after all. I think a warning is due..._

Acting like I didn't notice, I stood on my right leg and raised the rubber ball above my head, the other leg stretching out straight behind me. The pose was part of a number of gymnastics kata, but it also stored a great deal of energy in the body in the form of tension, kept together only by the careful balance I was maintaining. Checking my position once more, I now let that balance tip, allowing the tension to unravel and turn into kinetic energy. Turning fully around and bringing my leg down, I launched the ball at the face in the doorway, adding a wicked spin to the throw as it left my hand.

In a show of altogether un-pervert-like reflexes, Chiaki barely got his head out of the way in time, letting the ball pass him by harmlessly. However, it didn't simply bounce away; when it hit the ground a short distance away, it launched itself back almost nearly into the same direction it came from. I couldn't see the the other side of the doorway, but a distinctive 'smack' and a grunt of pain told me I did score a hit after all. Curious, I walked over to inspect the damage.

Chiaki was still picking himself up from the floor; apparently his face had made intimate acquaintance with the massive steel door guarding the building. He raised his hand to his nose to check how serious the damage was, but it came away bloodless. He opened his mouth, but I immediately cut him off. "You're lucky, you know?" The short statement seemed to confuse him and he tried to speak again, but I interrupted him once more. "Lucky that Miyako didn't see you. She takes a dim view on perverts." Understanding and a touch of fear dawned on his face. I bent down to pick up the ball that had landed on the ground next to him, then faced him, my nose inches from his. "In fact, I was informed that if she saw you so much as leering at her again, she would have you detained... and her 'detained' does not allow for any interpretation that is in any way pleasant or exciting."

Chiaki gulped as I straightened back up. He didn't look nearly as confident as this morning and small beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. I decided to take pity on him; shifting the ball to my left hand, I reached down and helped him to his feet. "She's not serious about detaining me, is she?" He asked, sounding slightly unsure.

"I'm not sure." I admitted. "She often says things she doesn't really mean, but she has a great deal of influence with the police, and if she was willing to use it, I believe she could actually make your life quite difficult. I believe it would be... prudent not to test her resolve. Don't you agree?" I emphasized the word 'prudent' by bouncing the ball on the ground a couple of times.

He nodded, quickly regaining his composure now. "So... you both belong to the same club?"

"Rhythmic gymnastics." I confirmed. "It keeps me in shape and can be relaxing at the same time."

"When does practice end? I was thinking of walking home with you guys."

"We're not finished.until 5:30." I said. "You don't have to wait that long for us..."

"I don't mind." he said easily. "I think I'll look around and check out what other clubs there are."

For a moment, neither of us said anything. Chiaki's gaze started to drift away from my eyes, but it snapped back up instantly the moment it reached the pink ball which I was still holding with both hands. He grinned sheepishly, but it was only a moment before his customary smirk returned. "Well, see you five-thirty then!" he said and turned around, walking off towards the field where the rugby club was playing.

I went back into the hall and tried to continue where I left off, but after a short while I once again had the feeling I was being observed. _Looks like those words were only so much wasted air... _I sighed mentally._ Well, if words won't work, I'm more than willing to oblige him with a bit of good old-fashioned violence!_

Abandoning all pretense, I spun around and lobbed the ball at the doorway as hard as I could. Only when the ball was already in the air did I recognize the person at the door: it wasn't Chiaki at all, but the little girl I had saved this morning! I realized immediately what I had done – this girl could be seriously injured by a blow that powerful! Her eyes widened at the incoming missile, but I could only helplessly raise my hand after it, shouting "Please, stop!!"

I was greatly surprised and endlessly relieved when the ball actually obeyed my command. The ball shuddered in mid-air, then dropped to the ground, its momentum negated entirely. A second later, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me, but I ignored it as best as I could and moved over to the girl. "Hello... Hiromi-chan, wasn't it?" The girl smiled and nodded, then bent closer, whispering: "That was a neat trick you used, Onee-chan!"

"It was an accident." I grimaced. I looked around, but miraculously, nobody seemed to have noticed what had happened. Miyako was off in a corner practicing by herself and none of the other girls were even looking in my direction. Pakkyamlamao-sensei was absent; she was the gymnastics teacher and supervised the practice, but she was only actually present part of the time. "I thought someone else was at the door. I was trying to hit that someone."

Hiromi thought for a second, then shrugged and grinned. "Well, you stopped it in time, so it's all right." She looked around as well before whispering: "I saw your picture in the newspaper!"

"Really?" I asked. "I haven't seen it yet." _I'm in today's paper already? Damn, Miyako works fast!_

"You can come over to my house later and I'll show it to you!" the girl said eagerly. "It's very close by." Her expression turned more serious. "I made Papa read the article to me; it said you stole a painting! Why would you do something like that?" She looked confused; apparently in her mind, thieves and magical girl business didn't mix. Two days ago, I would have agreed with her.

"I didn't actually take the painting." I tried to explain, kneeling down. "But I had to make it disappear. An evil spirit was hiding in the painting and it possessed the owner. My job is to catch the evil spirits, but the object they use to hide disappears when I do. That's why it looks like I stole the painting."

The girl was wide-eyed, but nodded in understanding. I felt an inordinate sense of relief that she believed me; no matter how exciting it was, I did not like the thought of being seen as a criminal, as the bad guy.

"What is it like when someone is possessed?" she asked.

This was less difficult to explain; Fin had coached me well to recognize the signs of a possessed person. "It's like they are someone else. If they were friendly before, they suddenly become mean and cold and try to hurt you." I paused for a moment, wondering why she would ask. "Did something like that happen to someone you know?"

"I'm not sure..." Hiromi said hesitantly. "The old man who lives next door... He was always very friendly to me and gave me candy! But recently, he looks at me strangely... It makes me feel very uncomfortable. I haven't visited him for a while..."

I frowned. This might be the influence of a demon, but it might also be something equally sinister... something for Miyako's department. "Does he have an object that he seems obsessed with? Something he doesn't let anyone touch?"

"Yes!" Hiromi nodded sharply. "He has a new candy box. He has had it for several weeks. I've seen him carry it around often, but since he has it, he never offered me candy anymore."

I let out a small sigh of relief; it actually appeared to be a demon. _I'd much rather deal with a case of possession than the alternative any day..._

"Then it's settled. I'll come visit after practice. You can show me the newspaper, and I'll find out whether your neighbor is the victim of a demon. If he is, I promise I'll turn him back to normal!" I briefly thought of Chiaki's offer to walk us home, but this was more important. Also, there would be plenty of other opportunities; the school year had only just begun, after all. _Besides, who would want to spend time with some pervert, anyway? Let him walk home with Miyako, maybe that'll cure him, hehehe..._

"Thank you!" the girl cried, giving me a fierce hug and bringing me back to reality. She looked around curiously, watching what the other girls were doing. "I watched you practicing. I want to be a gymnast like you, Onee-chan!"

I smiled. "I'm not sure there is a group for people your age, but I can ask our sensei. Your dad will have to come and arrange it, though."

"I don't think he'll mind." Hiromi said, smiling. "It's not as dangerous as riding a bicycle!"

"Do you want to come inside and watch?" I asked.

"Sure! I can only stay for about an hour, though. I need to be home before Papa comes from work."

"That's fine. I'll walk home with you afterwards." I led her inside explained some of the things we did. Her enthusiasm was infectious and I ended up showing off quite a few of my routines for her. The hour was over in no time.

"Let me just tell my friend Miyako that I won't be walking home with her, and we'll be off." I told Hiromi-chan. Miyako was over in a corner practicing with clubs. We practiced apart as much as together, so we wouldn't be distracting each other all the time. She noticed me as I approached. "Hey, what's up Maron?"

"I'll be leaving early." I informed her. "I have some business to take care of."

"Something to do with that girl?" Miyako asked, gesturing to where Hiromi sat with her head.

So she noticed after all... Still, I paid attention to my surroundings all the time while we talked... she can't have overheard anything. "Yeah, she needs my help."

"Something the police can help with?" Miyako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think so." I answered. "I'll let you know if that changes. By the way, Chiaki was here earlier. He said he was going to walk home with us. You can tell him I had a prior engagement, but there's always tomorrow."

"He was here? Why didn't you tell me?" she wanted to know.

"What, and invite him in so he can lust after all the girls here?"

Miyako grinned. "It might have helped you gather conclusive evidence..."

"I have evidence..." I muttered. "But some of it contradicts each other..."

"Well, see you tomorrow morning then. I'll probably spend the evening at the police, coming up with a better trap for Jeanne!"

"Good luck with that!" I said insincerely. "Ja ne!"

I briefly visited the locker room to change back into my school uniform before I picked up Hiromi and we left. The walk to her home was a short one; it was even closer to the school than my apartment. The house was fairly big, almost on par with the place I 'visited' as Jeanne the night ago. _Hiromi's parents must be fairly well off..._

"Oji-san lives over there." Hiromi said, pointing to a smaller house to the left. An old man was standing there, hunched over, clutching an object in both hands. I decided to take the opportunity and get this out of the way first. "Wait here." I told Hiromi while I opened the box I was carrying, taking out the Petit Claire and placing the box on the ground. I put in in the pocked of my school uniform, but I kept holding onto it.

The old man looked up as I approached. He had deep circles under the eyes and his visage looked frightfully contorted, only vaguely resembled a human being anymore. He took a few steps in my direction, and now I could clearly make out the circular candy box he held in his hands. It was made of tinted light blue glass, but its surface was made up of small polyhedrons, refracting the light and obscuring the contents. A larger cube sat on the middle of the lid, serving as the grip.

It took a moment, but the Petit Claire began reacting as the old man drew near, emitting short pulsing beeps that were audibly only to my ears. The old man's gaze pierced me, trying to devour me and I shivered. _Chiaki has nothing on this guy..._ I thought.

"_I know what you are, and why you are here._" he said in a gravelly voice that echoed with malice. "_Go away, little girl, or you might get hurt._" His eyes flashed violet and a ripple shot through the air between us, slamming into me and knocking me off my feet. I landed hard on the ground a short distance away. Dazed, I looked up, expecting a follow-up attack, but the old man simply turned around and went into the house, locking the door behind him.

Gingerly I got to my feet, checking myself over for injuries. I felt slightly disoriented, but the feeling passed after a moment and except for a few scrapes, I was fine. Hiromi ran over to me as soon as the old man's door slammed shut, bringing my box with her. "Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." I said, tearing my gaze away from a bruise on my lower arm and giving her a reassuring smile, but my expression quickly turned grim again. "You were right Hiromi-chan, your neighbor has been possessed by a demon. Don't worry, I will restore him to his old self!" I lifted the Petit Claire to my face and pressed the large ruby with the cross on it. "Fin! Are you there?"

This time, it took only two seconds for Fin's face to appear in the crystal. "Maron-chan! What happened?" A slightly worried grin appeared on her face. "You aren't still mad because of the alarm clock, are you?"

"Forget the alarm clock." I said, waving it off. "Fin, I found a demon!"

"What? You did, too?" Fin looked very surprised. "I already sent a notice for 11 o'clock tonight... I was going to wait at home for you to tell you about the details."

"Well, I guess I'll have to double up today. I want you to send another notice, for 7 o'clock. To a Mr..." I turned to Hiromi. "Do you know Oji-san's name?"

"His name is Hachiro-san." The girl answered quickly.

"Send the notice to Hachiro-sama. I'm going to steal his candy box." I told Fin the address of the old man. "Come to meet me immediately afterwards; I'll be in the big house right next to the target."

"Hai!" Fin said, looking slightly surprised at my forceful tone, but pleased that I was taking charge. The connection separated a moment later.

"That was my partner, Fin." I explained to Hiromi who was looking at me with wide eyes. Looking around secretively, I bent closer and whispered: "She's an angel."

The girl's eyes grew impossibly large. "And she's going to come to visit?"

I nodded. "But only people who believe in angels can see her. Do you believe in angels?"

Hiromi grinned widely. "If you say she's your partner, then I have to believe it!"

She led me to the entrance and rang the doorbell, yelling: "I'm home!" The door was opened by a modest-looking woman who I quickly confirmed was Hiromi's mother. "Welcome back, Hiromi-chan." She returned the girl's brief hug, then rose to face me. "You must be Kusakabe-san. My husband told me what you did for our daughter. Please, make yourself at home."

I thanked her and stepped inside. Hiromi immediately dragged me to her room. I looked around, checking out the place as I was pulled along. The house was expansive, but much more modestly furnished than the art collector's house and as a result felt much more comfortable.

Hiromi's room looked typical for a girl her age. It, too, was large and well-furnished, but far from extravagant. Obviously Hiromi's parents didn't believe in spoiling their girl with material things. The girl immediately ran over and sat down on the side of her bed, patting the spot beside her, but I had barely seated myself when she jumped up again. "You wanted to see the newspaper article, right? I'm going to get it, wait here!" A moment later she was out of the room again, the door slamming shut behind her.

I shook my head in amusement, then took the chance to look around some more. The room was clean but a few things were left out. Crayons lay scattered across the desk, next to a small picture. It was a drawing of Hiromi-chan and her father. A line of flowers was at the bottom and a house in the background, with a couple of small hearts scattered over the small background. The representations of Hiromi and her father both wore happy smiles. It was clearly drawn by a kid, but it held a clumsy, innocent charm.

"I'm back!" Hiromi yelled, bursting through the door, the newspaper in one hand. Together, we looked at the article. "Mystery Thief Sends Notice." I read the headline. The photo Miyako had shown me this morning was plastered across the cover. _Looks like I made the front page after all... _I mused, thinking back to my rash comment to Fin the night before. Surprisingly, I did feel a kind of sense of accomplishment at that.

"The photo looks great!" Hiromi enthused. "Did you pose for it?"

I laughed. "That photo was an accident, too. I only saw a flash of light, but I didn't think I was being photographed, because they already tried to blind me with light earlier before. My friend Miyako showed me the picture this morning. She works with the police."

"So your friend is trying to arrest you when you are Jeanne?" the girl asked, wide-eyed. I nodded. "She must never find out it is really me."

Hiromi grinned. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret!"

I read the article. There wasn't a lot of information in it, less than what Miyako told me personally this morning, but it did pose a few questions concerning Jeanne's motives, and why she would send a notice to announce her intentions. I also asked people who knew something about Jeanne to report to the Momokuri Police Department.

"Thanks for showing me this, Hiromi-chan." I said, standing up. "By the way, I noticed your drawing." I said, pointing at the desk.

"You did?" she asked, grabbing the sheet of paper from the desk, barely catching one of the crayons she had upset with the abrupt move. "I drew this for Papa. Do you like it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful." I said, and I meant it. I hoped that any children I would have one day would make pictures like that for me.

Suddenly I felt a pressure on my mind, the same kind of pressure I felt when I sealed the demon the night before, although it was slightly weaker. Instinctively, I lashed back with my mind, and the feeling subsided. "Hiromi-chan... I have to take this picture... I think there's a demon inside it, too." I took out the Petit Claire and held it over the paper. The pulse was faint, but it was there. I nodded grimly, confirming my suspicion.

"It's okay." Hiromi said, smiling. "I can draw another picture. I don't want to become mean and creepy like Oji-san..." She started to hand the picture to me when something in her eyes started to change.

"Oh no you don't." I growled, snatching the paper out of her hand and breaking the spell. I dove towards the box at the foot of her bed, removing the rosary while the demon battered ineffectually at my mind. It was slightly painful and I knew I'd probably keep the headache, but I held it firmly in my mental vice grip. _Damn, where's Fin when you need her?_ I asked myself, staring once again at the uncharged rosary. _Oh well, here goes._

Grabbing the rosary in one hand and the sheet of paper in the other, I took a deep breath and intoned my prayer. "Jeanne d'Arc... Lend me your strength, for Hiromi-chan!"

Again, I wasn't engulfed by pink fire, but I felt the same wrenching shift as this morning and I knew I had at least partially transformed. The jolts of pain the demon sent at me immediately became more distant, allowing me to concentrate. Replacing the rosary in my pocket, I picked up the Petit Claire. I threw a glance at Hiromi, but she was all right, watching everything with wide eyes.

"In the name of God..." A pin rose to the surface of the Petit Claire, but unlike last night when it barely took any effort, I felt a distinct drain of energy this time. However, I didn't have any time to waste. "You, a demon born in darkness... I seal you here! **Checkmate!!!**" I threw the picture in the air and the pin immediately after it, piercing the sheet of paper at its center.

Suddenly, it was like a floodgate had opened. The buffeting from the demon doubled in intensity, and it took me a moment to regain my balance. Snarling, I struck back with a vicious blow, crushing the fragile evil presence within my mind. The paper glowed and vanished, leaving only the glowing shape of the pin hanging in the air. With a 'pop', the pin turned into a pawn and started to fall, right into the hand Hiromi had raised reflexively.

I sighed in relief and let the tension ebb away. This time I actually felt the power leave me, saw the strands of hair turn brown again at the edge of my vision. Hiromi stared at the pawn in her hand for a moment, then she looked up at me, a smile growing on her face. "That was so _cool_!!" she exclaimed. I smiled weakly, dropping down to a sitting position; my knees felt weak from the sudden exertion. Hiromi moved over to me, holding out the pawn. "So this is..."

"This is the energy left over from the demon." I said. "They were created by the devil, to take over the beautiful hearts of good people. You've felt it, didn't you?"

Hiromi nodded. "It was... trying... I couldn't resist it." She shuddered.

"And that is why I fight." I continued. "That is why I'll steal paintings and beautiful things that people enjoy... that is why I'll elude the police..." I shook my head. "The police may never know the truth. But the victims understand. Deep down, they understand and are glad that their treasure is gone and can't haunt them anymore, even if they miss looking at it." The girl gave me another hug and I accepted it gratefully.

"This energy..." I said, taking the pawn from her hand, "Fin said it could be harvested. It's going to be used for good instead." I frowned, looking at the small figure. This one didn't look solidly white at all, instead it had a milky, semi-transparent kind of look. _This demon must have had much less power than the other one... I guess I wouldn't have been able to defeat it so easily, otherwise, especially without Fin's help._

"The newspaper said you sent a notice card before you came and stole the painting." Hiromi said suddenly. "Do you always do that?"

"Usually." I said. "Fin said it is a rule. But I didn't have time just now, because it all happened so suddenly... Do you want a notice? As a memento?"

The girl nodded eagerly and I suppressed a grin. _From mystery thief to giver of autographs... Oh irony, how you mock me._ But for some reason, I didn't mind at all. I held up the Petit Claire. "Fin usually does these. Let's see... Do you want it like I actually sent it beforehand?"

"I don't care!" Hiromi said, bouncing happily. I shook my head in amusement; this girl deserved something with a little special touch. Concentrating, I looked at the air over the Petit Claire. A thin white beam of light rose out of it, stopping a few inches above the surface. It then rotated out, revealing the full rectangle. The glow faded and I grabbed the card and handed it to Hiromi.

**Notice:**

**To Hiromi-chan**

**Today, I took the beauty of your drawing. I shall treasure it forever.**

**Your friend,**

**Kaitou Jeanne**

"Thanks, this is great!" Hiromi said, admiring the card. "I can't wait to show this to all my friends!"

I laughed. "Do that, just don't tell any of them who I am." I winked at her. "And if the police ever want to look at it for fingerprints, feel free to let them look at it. The cards are designed to be completely impervious, nothing will stick to them. You can't get it wet or dirty, either!"

"Cool!" Hiromi gushed. She started to say something else, but was interrupted by a knock on the window. Looking up, I saw Fin on the other side, waving and gesturing. I got up and opened the window, allowing her inside. "Fin! You are late!" I said sternly, leveling a finger at her.

"What?" Fin protested as I shut the window behind her. "But I came here as quickly as I could..."

"It was still too late!" I huffed. "I had to seal a demon without your help!"

"Without transforming? But that's impossible..."

"See for yourself." I said, holding up the captured pawn. Fin examined it for a couple of seconds. "This must have been a very weak demon. You're lucky you managed to defeat it without transforming. Still, given enough time, it could have grown strong enough to be a serious threat. Good job!" The angel frowned. "But how did you do it? You are not supposed to be able to use your powers if you don't transform! That's why I told you to get me first when you discover a demon, because it's too dangerous!"

"I had no choice. The demon showed up suddenly. You weren't there, so I just took the rosary and pretended it was charged. I didn't get a full transformation, but it worked! Hiromi-chan said my hair changed color!"

"Hiromi-chan...?" Fin looked over my shoulder, noticing the girl for the first time. She gave a little wave, but the angel didn't appear to notice. "Maronnnnn... don't tell me this girl has listened to our entire conversation! You can't let people find out your identity!"

"Oh right, how forgetful of me." I slapped my forehead. "Excuse my manners. Fin, this is Hiromi-chan. Hiromi-chan, this is Fin Fish, my partner in crime!"

"Hi!" Hiromi said, giving another wave. Fin sank towards the floor, looking slightly ill. "Maronnnnn... what have you done?" she moaned, holding her head between her hands. "We're _so_ screwed..."

"Relax." I said, grinning. "Hiromi-chan's swell. She won't turn us in. After all, she's a friend of Kaitou Jeanne, right?"

"Hai!" the girl said, nodding vigorously.

"...Explain. Now." Fin ordered weakly, sitting up on the plush carpet. And so I explained how I met Hiromi-chan and saved her from the accident with the bike.

"And the rosary worked even though there was no demon nearby?" Fin asked, clearly surprised. "I didn't think that was possible... It's probably best if you only use it in special situations. Otherwise the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc might not answer your request anymore."

I didn't object; after all, 'special situations' was a pretty broad category. And I figured the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc had to be pretty swell, too – after all, she had allowed me to save the life of this girl.

"Anyway, next thing I know, Hiromi is asking me whether I'm a magical girl. What the heck do I say to that?" Hiromi just grinned irreverently, enjoying the storytelling.

"Magical girl?" Fin's expression was clueless.

"Yeah, you know? Normal girl, suddenly called to fight for love and justice, secret identities, transformation sequences... the works? It's a pretty popular genre." The angel looked at me blankly. "Stories." I tried to explain. "People write stories about magical girls."

"You mean... like what you are doing?" Fin said, amazed. I nodded. "They are all a little different, but many things are similar. I'll lend you some of my manga when we get home."

Fin could only nod dumbly. I continued my tale, telling her how we talked about possession and Hiromi mentioning how her neighbor seemed to act strangely. "And so I came here to check it out."

"And the demon is already sealed? Fin asked, smiling. "That's pretty good! You'll have more time for the other job!"

"No no no," I said, waving my hands. "That demon is still loose. The one I sealed was right here in this room, in a picture drawn by Hiromi-chan." I frowned. "It tried to possess her, so I had no choice but to act. Hmpf." I sniffed. "Imagine the impudence!" I grabbed the Petit Claire from the floor beside me and dropped the translucent pawn into it. Like the last one, it vanished into it; a sparkling star falling into the murky depths of the crystal.

"So there's another demon here?" Fin asked.

"Yeah..." I grumbled, having pocketed the device again. "You know, I remember you telling me there were only a few of them, so you'd have to search for them. And here I am, stumbling not over one, but two of them! And you tell me you've found one, too! What's up with that?"

"I have no idea..." Fin admitted. "I was told they aren't that common. Maybe it's just a fluke, but we better keep our guard up." She rose up from the floor. "Well, what are you doing, sitting around here? There are two more demons you have to seal today!"

"All right!" I shouted, jumping up from the floor. "Hey, Hiromi-chan, you saw my hair change color earlier, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Your eyes changed, too! They were purple! I couldn't see it last time, but this time, I was right in front of you."

I filed that information away. Apparently I actually did have to watch my back around Miyako. Hopefully my throwaway comment about purple contact lenses would confuse her if I ever came across her at a wrong moment.

"Anyway, that wasn't actually my transformation. Want to see the real thing?"

"Mm!" Hiromi nodded eagerly. Fin just rolled her eyes, but obediently filled the rosary with power when I held it out to her. "Hmm, maybe I should go outside first or something."

"There's a balcony on the second floor." Hiromi added helpfully.

"Don't worry, the transformation is safe for indoors." Fin said. "It will accommodate space constraints. If we can sneak outside safely, there is no problem with doing it in this room."

"It's okay." Hiromi agreed. "We shouldn't encounter anyone on the way. I'll help you by scouting ahead!"

"Yosh! Let's get started, then!" I closed my eyes, holding the rosary to my chest. "Jeanne d'Arc... Lend me your strength...!"

This time, there appeared no wings, but I was immediately engulfed by a pink inferno. Again, I felt my body being tempered by the magical fire. Two seconds later, I felt it being blown away, the glowing ribbons of power wafting along the edges of the room before they dispersed, as there was no space behind me. I hovered a foot off the ground while the magic finished forming my costume, gently touching down when it was finished. I felt much better all of a sudden; the headache from earlier was gone and my bruises had disappeared as well, even the large one on my chest that I still had been carrying around as a memento from the last night. I felt in top form and my body was fairly brimming with magical power.

"Sugoi..." Hiromi breathed, wide-eyed. "I wish I could do something like that..."

"Wait a few years." I advised her. "All the magical girls are teenagers." I turned to Fin. "Think you could recommend her up there as a potential recruit?"

Fin laughed. "I have no idea. I'm pretty sure we don't have any children to incarnate. But you're right, we're always looking for people. In a few years..."

"See? You might get your wish." I told Hiromi, winking. "Just focus on growing up in the meantime."

"Yay!" she cried happily, jumping up and down a few times. Fin groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Nobody is going to believe a word of this report..." she lamented to no one in particular.

Hiromi opened the door and went outside, checking in both directions, then waving for me to follow. "The house is mostly empty." Hiromi explained as she led us through the corridors. "Mama is downstairs, and Papa isn't home yet, so the way should be clear. We'll circle around the back of the second floor, just to be safe."

True to her word, we encountered no obstacles and reached the balcony Hiromi had mentioned only a couple of minutes later. Hiromi gripped the door handle and pulled, but to no effect. "It's locked." Hiromi said, disappointed. "Dang, it was a good plan."

"Don't forget, I'm a Kaitou." I said, holding up the Petit Claire. "Key to Rewards, come forth!" The girl watched in fascination as the key took hold in the lock, unlocking the door, and proceeded to explode into a slew of tiny sparkling particles. I had to spend a moment explaining to her that no, she couldn't have one of those because, unlike the cards, the police would be _very_ interested in examining my tools to uncover my secrets, and I was not at all sure what they would find. "Besides, they're one-use only. It would disappear the first time you used it."

"Here we are." Hiromi said as we stepped out onto the balcony. "Oji-san's house is right over there." I looked at Fin to see if she was ready, but she was holding her head, her face contorted into an expression of discomfort. "This demon is very strong..." Fin said. "I'm sorry, but I can't go into the house with you. I wouldn't be any help to you like this."

I held out my hands in the form of a cradle and she accepted the offer gratefully, landing on my combined palms and leaning on my outstretched fingers. Her wings were soft and tickled against my skin. "Can't you use that barrier thing you used to ram the demon yesterday?"

"It helps, but I don't have enough power to keep it up all the time." Fin said, huddling against the warmth of my hand. "I still feel it through the shield. The feeling gets worse the closer I get. The demon must be strong for me to be affected this far away. And that's just from being near it. If it actually noticed me and attacked me..." She looked up at me. "I would be in real danger. I'm no coward, but this more than I can handle."

"I understand." I said, hugging the angel to my chest. "You'll stay with Hiromi-chan. You'll take care of Fin, won't you?" The girl nodded and I deposited the angel on her shoulder. Fin shifted her body into a sitting position, leaning her head against the girl's neck and closing her eyes.

"Well, I better get started then." I said, facing the small house across from the balcony. Hiromi's house was encircled by a wall, but the adjacent property could be easily approached from all sides. _But the demon probably expects me..._ I thought, remembering its words. _It said it knew who, no, _'what'_ I was. I should probably enter through a window and try to surprise it. Hm, I wonder, does it carry around that candy box all day long?_

I repeated the last question to Hiromi, who thought about it for a second. "I've never seen him without it since he first had it." she finally answered.

"Then it's probably best if you try to fight him outside." Fin said, looking up. "This demon is much more powerful than the one you fought yesterday. Engaging it in a narrow corridor is probably not a good idea. You've seen those blasts of concussive force they fire off. You'll have problems dodging that inside the house. You are fast enough to dance circles around it, but you need the space to do it, or you can't offset the advantage it has in sheer power."

"You're right." I agreed. "I was going to engage it in the house, but what you say is true. I'd feel more comfortable fighting it on the street, too. Think I can lure it outside?"

"Sure!" Fin nodded. "They respond well to taunting. Just don't get into it so much that you forget to dodge..." I stuck out my tongue at Fin, who just grinned back irreverently.

"All right, I better get going." I said, gripping the Petit Claire. "Now I just need to get over there."

"Can you jump over to the other roof?" Hiromi wanted to know. I measured the distance critically. "I've never attempted to jump that far. I probably could, but why bother?" I raised the Petit Claire. "Rebound Ball, come out!" I waited until the cord had connected to my wrist, then switched the Petit Claire to the left hand and flung the ball at the chimney of the adjacent house where it clung. "Wish me luck!" I said, snapping my wrist and allowing myself to be pulled over. The evening air surrounded me; it wasn't as great a rush as falling down freely, but it still was a very pleasant feeling. When I drew close, I allowed the ball to come loose so I could bleed off the momentum. Landing almost silently, I quickly made my way over the roof and dropped down in front of the house.

_This guy is dangerous..._ I thought. _Might as well prime my sealing routine beforehand..._

"In the name of God..." I chanted my preparation, taking the pin that rose out of the Petit Claire. "You, a demon born in darkness... I seal you here." I took a deep breath and approached the front door. _Well, here goes!_ I told myself as I rang the doorbell, an idea forming in my mind. _Audacity for the win!_

The door was yanked open abruptly and the old man appeared, a surprised look on his face. "What do you want?" He asked threateningly, understanding not yet dawning on his face.

"Your soul." I spat, staring him down and stabbing the pin into the object he was holding. "**Checkmate!**"

Realization flashed in the old man's eyes, and then something else; once more, I found myself violently thrown off my feet. At the same time, my mind was assaulted with the force of a battering ram. I tried to fight back, but I was too distracted by my tumble through the air and the upcoming impact, which I still had to deal with. I had no choice but to wrench my mind free of the demon's grip and sever the connection. With a clang of metal on glass, the pin was ejected from the surface of the candy box, shooting high into the air.

Stretching out my arms, I was able to gain control of my fall and turn in into a series of backflips which I used to gain some distance from the demon. In the air above me, the pin suddenly disappeared with a puff of smoke, something else replacing it. Ignoring the possessed old man who was slowly striding along the entranceway of his house, intent on following me, I jumped up and snatched the object out of the air. It was a pawn, this one looking milky and semi transparent as well, but still more solid than the last one._ I must have drained at least part of its energy!_ I thought, quickly storing the pawn away by dropping it into the Petit Claire. _On to round two!_

The old guy was slowly stalking towards me. _Such impudence!_ The demon's voice thundered, the old man's mouth open but not speaking. _Your life is forfeit, little girl, but first I will make you suffer!_

"In the name of God!" I answered, calling forth a new pin. The demon reacted immediately by firing a wave of compressed air at me, but I jumped aside, moving backwards as the demon advanced on me. "You, a demon born in darkness... I seal you here!" I had to dodge two more blasts, but then I was ready. Jumping forward a small distance for better accuracy, I threw the pin. "**Checkmate!**"

The old man merely shifted the grip on the candy box. The pin impacted on the back of his hand, drawing blood. The demon regarded it disdainfully for a second before he snapped his wrist, dislodging the pin and sending it clattering to the ground. The small puncture wound immediately healed over.

_Damn! Apparently, carrying that thing around all the time isn't that much of a liability after all! He can defend it much better this way!_ I wasn't worried about the dropped pin; those were designed to dissolve and vanish if I didn't pick them up again in a set amount of time. But now I faced the problem of how to overcome the demon's defenses. I could to jam the pin into the candy box myself like I did the first time, but if I got that close, I wouldn't be able to dodge the pressure waves the demon started to send after me with renewed ferocity.

I managed to evade the first two rippling blasts by jumping out of the way, but the third caught me while I was still coming down from my second leap, smashing me into the ground with great force. This form was more resilient that my civilian body, but it still hurt like hell. I quickly got to my feet again, but I felt dizzy, and in addition there was a distinct feeling of being violated. _I'll get you, little girl!_ The demon taunted me. _I'll make you wish you had never been born!_

I shook myself for a moment, trying to get rid of the feeling, before I had to jump out of the way of the next blast. I took care to perform low jumps and sidesteps that didn't take me far off the ground, but I nearly jumped into a second wave that came immediately after the first one when the demon caught on a few seconds later. He took to launching short flurries of blows that left me less and less open space to use for my dodges.

"In the name of–" I started, but I had to break off, focusing all my attention on staying clear of the rippling blurs that passed me by. I tried twice more to summon a new pin, getting up to 'born in darkness' once, but I was interrupted again, and the pin that had already risen out of the Petit Claire dissolved, its essence drawn back into the crystal.

"All right, without the silly speech, then." I held up the Petit Claire and concentrated. Three pins rose out of it in quick succession as I picked them up one after the other, evading attacks left and right all the while. Darting between the rippling spheres, I got within striking range and let the pins fly. "**Checkmate! Checkmate! Checkmate!**"

To my surprise, the demon didn't step aside or shield the candy box, instead he just stood there with an evil smirk, simply letting all three pins impact on the candy box. Agony like nothing I had ever experienced before flooded through my mind as the demon crushed against it, and it was all I could do to turn my attack against itself and destroy the connection. The pins on the candy box evaporated harmlessly; this little stunt had gotten me nothing but a whole lot of pain. My eyes swam and I evaded the next couple of ranged attacks more by instinct than because I saw them coming. _Do you like pain, little girl?_ the demon asked. _Stand still, and I'll let you have your fill._

"Shut up!" I vented my frustration. "Geez..." Jumping backwards over a blast, I twisted around in midair and flung out the Rebound Ball, latching onto a tree branch and putting some distance between me and the demon. I didn't linger around, but immediately pulled myself to a street lamp further down the road. I had barely left the tree when a ripple slammed into the branch, splintering part of it.

"Fin!" I called out, pressing the ruby and holding the Petit Claire to my ear like a cell phone. The demon was still sending pressure waves at me, but I was far enough away now to dodge them with ease and he quickly reduced the frequency of the attacks, choosing instead to lumber slowly in my direction.

"Jeanne, what's up?" came Fin's voice from the device. "Is there something wrong with your ear?"

I bit my lip, hard; I really didn't have time to dissolve into peals of laughter in the middle of a battle. Ignoring the question as best as I could, I asked: "Fin, do these demons ever run out of those pressure waves? I've been dodging him for ten minutes now and he shows no sign of slowing down!"

"We don't know how they do those pressure waves. Trust me, we've been trying to find out for centuries what they are. What we do know is that they apparently take very little energy. I think a demon as strong as this one can easily keep this up all night."

"Damn..." I muttered, ducking another blast aimed at my head. "Look, Fin, I can't get close to him like this, and if I try to seal the candy box from afar, he has plenty of time to block the pin using his body! What should I do?"

"Drat... I was supposed to teach you this later, but I guess I have no choice... Jeanne, you have a barrier around you, God's Barrier. It is powered by your conviction; if you believe strongly in yourself, that barrier will protect you from harm! If you can activate this barrier, you can move through the blows with ease and seal the demon!"

"All right, Fin, I'll try this! Thanks!" I pressed the red gemstone again, terminating the connection. The demon had cleared more than half of the distance between us, but he was still far enough away that I had no trouble dodging his attacks.

"All right..." I muttered. "Believe in yourself... Come on, you can do this!" I stopped avoiding the attacks and stood my ground, bracing myself and staring down the approaching waves of pressure. The first one was about to slam into me when a transparent green, perfectly round sphere suddenly winked into existence around me. If I had been suspended in the air, it would have been almost twice my height in size, but as it was it disappeared into the ground at my feet. It looked thin and delicate, but it absorbed the blast almost completely, disappearing as soon as the attack was over.

I was bolstered by my success, but a small amount of discomfort made it through the barrier, spoiling my happiness. The next blast came far too quickly for me to regain my mental balance and even though the barrier appeared again, part of the attack penetrated through it, making me feel both the physical impact and the mental effects this time. The third blow rocked me back on my feet, the fourth knocked me over, completely shattering the fragile green shield and bringing back the feelings of violation in full force. I tried to get to my feet, but the demon had already reached me. Grinning maliciously, it sent a rippling sphere point-blank at my prone form, smacking me down against the hard pavement and sending feelings of self-disgust coursing through me. The demon was saying something, probably taunting me some more, but I was too busy fighting my own emotions to listen.

_Damn... I can't do this! How am I supposed to be self-confident when I feel like I need to bathe myself for several days? _A powerful fury welled up in me, rapidly drowning out the unclean feelings._ Demonic perverts are a hundred times worse than normal ones! I'm so not going to take this crap anymore!_

Pushing myself off with my legs, I raised myself into a handstand and brought my legs down behind me. I looked up at the twisted visage of the demon – and launched into a savage overhead kick, impacting on the pervert's chin and carrying me all the way around into a standing position. The old man went flying, crashing to the ground a good distance away. A shimmering, glittering arc remained where my attack had cleaved the air, fading away over the next two seconds as I listened to a curious, low rumbling sound that I hadn't noticed before. It, too, quickly faded away.

"How do you like this, you bastard!?" I yelled my frustration at the demonic entity. "I'm done taking your abuse!" Gripping the rosary hanging from my dress, I intoned: "**Vow of Chastity!**" The central gemstone on the rosary flashed blue, and a light blue hue covered my vision. An image of a chained metal lock in the shape of a heart superimposed itself over my vision, the same light blue color and its edges lined with rivets, but it faded away a moment later and my vision turned back to normal.

The demon was already getting to its feet and immediately fired a pressurized blast of air at me, but I batted it away with contempt. The profane component of it was gone and all that remained was a mild sting. I started advancing on the demon in slow, steady steps. It fired two more pressure blasts at me, but I ignored them as they slammed into me. A predatory smile made its way onto my face; that last one had considerably more bite to it, but I'd still barely felt it. _He must be getting rather desperate..._

With a roar, it launched itself at me, trying to grab me, but there was a bright blue flash and the demon was knocked back violently, falling to the ground a few feet away. "In the name of God..." I chanted, raising up the Petit Claire for one last time. "You, a demon born in darkness... I seal you here!" The demon was already staggering to its feet again, but I was right in front of it. "**Checkmate!**" I yelled, flinging the pin across the short distance.

The pin embedded itself in the candy box. The demon tried to grab at it to yank it out, but small, bright blue flames sprung up where he touched it, burning away at his skin. I didn't wait for the mental assault to begin this time; instead I attacked immediately, shredding through the demon's mental defenses and tearing apart its spirit. The old man let out an unnatural howl as the evil presence left his body for good, then he crumbled to the ground in a boneless heap.

A second later the exhaustion hit me and I, too, had to sit down. That vow thing seemed to have taken quite a lot out of me, even more than the many failed sealing attempts. However, it took only a couple of seconds for my strength to return. I heaved the unconscious old man to his feet, hanging him over my shoulder and hauling the both of us back to his house with a few judicious uses of the Rebound Ball. I tried to be careful with the old guy, but I figured if the demon hadn't managed to kill him so far, he'd probably survive my ministrations.

The door of his house was still open, so I carried him inside and dumped him onto the sofa in the living room. The old man's house was small, but it looked comfortable. Unfortunately, the possession seemed to have interfered with his housekeeping; he needed to clean up, badly. On the small table near the sofa was the notice card Fin had sent, lying between a couple of used plates and a few other knickknacks. I checked the old man over, looking at the fingers of his right hand for burn marks, but the skin was unblemished. _Looks like the damage was entirely spiritual._

A muffled groan a second later told me the he was coming to. He sat up, a hand gingerly raised to his forehead. "Ugh... what happened to me?" He paused and looked around, like he was seeing everything for the first time. "I feel like I've awoken from a long dark dream..."

"That dream is over now, Hachiro-san." I told him, drawing his attention. He looked up at me, taking in my appearance. "And you are...?"

"Kaitou Jeanne." I said. "I've stolen that deceptive beauty that was in your possession."

"Huh?" His eyes wandered to the notice card on the table, and he reached for it. A shadow of a memory seemed to pass behind his eyes. "Oh yes, that candy box. Thank you, for getting rid of that... that vile thing." He shuddered. "I don't know what came over me... One moment I've been standing in that shop, admiring the design..." He looked around, taking in the chaos around him. "What have I been doing these last weeks?"

"I have no idea." I admitted. "But it's over now. I'm sure Hiromi-chan will be glad to visit you again." The sound of screeching tires suddenly assaulted my ears, and through the open door, I could see a police car skidding into place in front of the house. "Uh-oh, looks like Miyako's here. Well, I gotta go!" Jumping over the couch, I opened one of the windows and jumped outside, perching on the window frame and leaping to the property wall of Hiromi's house. A quick thought brought the Rebound Ball back to full size and I flung it at the wall above the balcony, pulling myself back up to Fin and Hiromi, who were already waiting with smiles on their faces. I quickly ushered them back inside the house, taking one more second to look back at the street.

The doors of the police car were wide open. Miyako and her father were traversing the entranceway of Hachiro-san's house, intent on entering and talking to the old man, and Haruta was running towards them. I also thought I spotted Akita further down the street, approaching some other house. _Looks like they are interrogating the neighbors. I have several more minutes to make my escape. _Stepping back inside, I summoned another Key to Rewards and locked the door.

A second later my vision turned black, spots dancing before my eyes as my body tried to cope with the renewed drain of magical power I had unwittingly put upon it. My energy felt at a new all time low and I was pretty sure another expenditure of power in that range would knock me clean out. I had to sit down, leaning at the back of the door to make sure I wasn't going to keel over anyway. When the black haze finally lifted itself, it was Fin's face that I found myself looking at. "Jeanne, are you okay?"

"I'm good." I groaned weakly. "Just a spot of magical exhaustion." Fin frowned and Hiromi-chan still looked worried. "I'll be fine." I tried to reassure them. "I just used my powers too much."

"You're too reckless, Jeanne!" Fin scolded. "You are nearly passing out and yet here you are, still maintaining spells!" She pointed at my forehead with an accusing finger.

"What the...?" I put my hand to my forehead, where it encountered the teardrop crystal. Lifting it away from my forehead, I could see it was glowing softly with a bright blue light – the color of chastity. "That's still active?" I asked, surprised. "But I don't feel any drain! I don't know how to turn off spells – trust me, if I knew how, I'd have canceled this as soon as the battle was over!"

"You must have paid for the entire duration up front..." Fin muttered. "But that's even more dangerous! If you cast spells or conjurations that are far beyond your energy capacity you can even kill yourself!" The angel huffed in agitation. "What was it that you did, anyway?"

"I made a Vow." I said, remembering how I grabbed the rosary and announced it to the world at large, but not quite sure where the idea had suddenly come from. "A Vow of Chastity." I looked up at Fin. "That demon had a really perverted nature. Each of its attacks that hit me made me feel violated." I recalled how the attacks hit and broke through the green barrier, but the memories didn't manage to bring back the feeling, and for a second I was intensely grateful that the effect of whatever I had done was still protecting me.

"I couldn't feel self-confident because of that, so that barrier thing didn't work. I'm not sure how, but suddenly I felt really angry at the demon. I just knew what to do then." A wild grin grew on my face. "And then I crushed it like an egg!" I crowed gleefully. "Here, take a look!" I took out the pawn from my pocket and held it up for Fin to see. It was a gleaming solid white and glowing, fairly pulsating with power. Fin stared at it with awe. "Wow... I'm glad I sat out for this one. This one must have been very old, leeching off a human's energy for weeks!"

Hiromi looked ready to cry at that statement. "Fin!" I said reproachfully, flicking her away with a finger. "The old man is fine." I assured the girl. "He's back to normal now. He needs to clean up his house, but you can visit him again. He looked happy when I said you would."

"Geez... You don't need to hit so hard..." Fin grumbled, rubbing the spot where I had hit her.

"That's for being insensitive." I said, sticking out my tongue at her. "You should watch what you say around other people." However, I seemed to have cheered up Hiromi again, as she was watching the byplay with a grin. A feeling of loss suddenly passed over me and I checked my forehead crystal again, confirming that my protection against perverts had expired.

"It's your fault for involving her in the first place." Fin said, scowling. "Hey!" Hiromi cried, looking indignantly at Fin, but she quickly placated her. "I like her too, and she's a good person, but she's still young and now we've gone and involved her in something bigger than her. What if she gets attacked because she is associated with you, or what if the police starts asking questions?"

"The police are easy!" Hiromi said stubbornly. "I'll just tell them the truth!" Fin looked horrified for a moment, before Hiromi continued: "It's really easy if I just don't say anything about Maron-onee-chan and Kaitou Jeanne being the same person!" She grinned brightly at Fin as the angel's look went from alarmed to exasperated.

"Hiromi-chan will be fine." I said. Acting on a sudden inspiration, I lifted myself up and grasped the rosary. "**Vow of Patronage.**" I whispered, placing a kiss on girl's forehead. A glowing symbol blazed to life on her skin, a Christian cross, but with an additional, smaller horizontal bar above the main one. "There. I protect my charges." With that, I sank back against the door and the special moment passed.

"The cross of Lorraine...!" Fin gasped, staring at the slowly fading symbol. "Maronnnnn... what have you done?" the angel moaned, burying her hands in her hair in despair as Hiromi curiously reached up to her forehead, touching the spot I had kissed. "You need to be careful with those Vows..." she admonished me. "They give you powerful advantages, but each one also forces you to adhere to certain specific conducts! A promise like the one you just made will not fade away over time..."

"S'okay." I mumbled, feeling slightly woozy, but Fin wasn't satisfied. "No, it's _not_ okay!" she wailed. "There there." Hiromi-chan said, gently patting the angel's head, but Fin didn't appear comforted. "You've done God-only-knows-what and you cast spells even though you're already out of energy–" Fin scowled. "Didn't I tell you stop casting before you drop dead?"

"Sorry." I said sheepishly. "I forgot." But it was too late already; the feeling of dizziness spiked and my eyes rolled up inside my head, my consciousness sinking into the darkness.

* * *

Since I haven't updated for so long, I figured I'd reward myself, and you, my esteemed readers, with a nice little cliffie. Does that logic make sense?

**Chiaki:** I don't like his portrayal as a womanizing (sometimes-)pervert. I don't like that archetype of character in general, so I'm trying to curb his tendencies early on with a warning and hope he will behave himself in the future. He should be much more pleasant to be around if he isn't constantly trying to rile up Maron with lewd comments.

**Hiromi-chan:** I've always liked that little girl with the bicycle. She wasn't intended to have this big a role originally; the rescue scene was merely supposed to be an alternate version that went slightly different. But then I had the idea of her commenting on Maron's magical girl status, and things kind of snowballed from there. Her importance will probably diminish in future chapters, though it's too early to tell yet.

**Miyako's perception:** I thought it a bit sad how oblivious Miyako is to many of the things Jeanne does or to the effects she has on people, the events she causes. She never seems to notice how Jeanne seals the paintings from afar (and when she does, she doesn't ascribe any significance to that realization!), or gives any though to where she actually hides the huge bulky things she often makes disappear. Her superhuman abilities don't raise any eyebrows either and the varying attitudes of the possession victims are readily dismissed. For a girl who wants to be a detective, Miyako's rather clueless. I'm going to try and prove that it is possible to have Miyako notice things and draw conclusions from them (not necessarily the right ones, though...) and still make the story work.

**Paranoid demons:** We haven't really seen a demon in the source material that always carries around its own object, defending it as necessary, unless that object was some sort of weapon at the same time, like the gun Miyako wielded in one of the last episodes. Is it a good strategy or not? Maron had a hard time getting the pins to stick, but she was able to choose the battleground, as the possessed person and Maron's objective were one and the same and demons are no strategists. However, fighting in the street, in clear view of the neighbors will have some unintended consequences, as you will see next chapter.

**Maron's sealing preparation:** I've decided to go against the long-accepted tradition of magical girls giving long-winded speeches, wasting time that could be better used attacking. Maron's sealing preparation is far from useless; it shields her from the mental backlash that comes from the demon during the sealing process and boosts her own strength in turn. Each pin lodged in the target opens up a conduit through which the demon is able to batter at the mind of the person trying to seal it. That is why throwing around big streamers of pins like Sinbad does in the final episode of the anime might not be a good idea for his health.

**Magical exhaustion: **Most people don't care about this at all, no matter what fandom their story takes place in. I closely watch the magic usage of my characters and make them feel the repercussions if they use their powers too liberally. In this chapter, Maron has clearly overtaxed herself, and now she has to suffer the consequences.

Tell me what you think of this chapter! Questions or comments are strongly encouraged! I've tried to find a discussion forum to talk about KKJ, the story, the characters, _my _story, anything, but all the communities are dead. Thus, I'm hijacking Crow Skywalker's forum here on FFnet! See the discussion thread for my story there or make your own! I'm looking for input here!


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